


Mess is Mine

by manic_goblin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hogwarts, Love Triangles, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:00:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25905481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manic_goblin/pseuds/manic_goblin
Summary: Ruth Parker is in her fifth year at Hogwarts. It's the year of O.W.L.s and sorting out future plans; not to mention the hunt is on for Sirius Black. Things are harder than ever for the witches and wizards, with whisperings of blood purity ever-growing. Despite the troubling times, no teens are immune to the struggles of crushes and unrequited love. Life gets messy for Ruth as her budding romance with Cedric complicates her friendship with the Weasley twins.Trouble ensues for the whole gang as they try to navigate young romance.Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe belongs to JK RowlingTitle credits to the lovely Vance Joy, this story would not be possible with his song
Relationships: Cedric Diggory/Original Female Character(s), Fred Weasley/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

Ruth Parker sucked in a huge breath, reveling in the cold air that filled her lungs. Nothing quite matched the feeling of September 1st. Excitement hung in the air at King's Cross Station, as she watched all the young (presumably first-year) witches and wizards discreetly slipping through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾.

It was Ruth's fifth year back at Hogwarts, and she'd said goodbye to her parents and the youngest of her two brothers at the station's entrance. He, like their muggle parents, possessed no magical talent, but her other brother, Sully stood behind her. He would be in his third year at Hogwarts, and his thirteen-year-old angst was becoming unbearable.

"Could we please just get onto the train?" He begged impatiently. His tawny owl was squawking noisily in its cage and was beginning to draw attention from the muggles.

Ruth hadn't realized how long she'd been standing there in her nostalgic reverie. "Oh yes, of course." She picked up her trunk and cat's carrier and hurried through the brick wall. Sully was not far behind her, but once they were onto the platform he quickly bid her goodbye and hurried off to join his friends.

Ruth awkwardly shuffled her feet and attempted to locate a friendly face amongst the crowd so that she would not be standing alone. After a quick survey, she found no one she particularly cared to interact with. Sighing, she began to lift the heavy blue trunk again with every intention of boarding the Hogwarts Express.

"Were you looking for someone?" A quiet voice asked from beside her. She turned to find a pretty boy with golden brown curls smiling at her.

"Cedric," She grinned, "Yes, actually. Have you seen Fred or George anywhere?" Cedric Diggory was in the same year as she and the Weasley twins, though he was in Hufflepuff. Fred and George harbored a certain dislike of Cedric, particularly because he was the seeker and captain of Hufflepuff's Quidditch team.

"I just saw them a bit ago, no doubt causing trouble." He rolled his eyes, but there was humor in his tone. "Let me take your trunk and I'll help you find them."

"Oh no, I couldn't let you do that," Ruth protested. However, she did not make any effort to stop him when he actually heaved her trunk on top of his own. Off the two went in search of the red-headed trouble makers in question.

\---

Fred Weasley leaned against the stationary train, nonchalantly tossing his wand in the air and catching it repeatedly. Each time the wand flipped, a small flurry of purple sparks flew out the end. He was waiting for George to return from his secret mission. The mission, being the depositing of a dung bomb in some Slytherin prat's school trunk, was taking much longer than expected.

Fred stuck his other hand into the pocket of his jeans, and gingerly fingered the small piece of shiny paper within. When he pulled it out, Ruth's face smiled up at him from the polaroid picture. She had been sending George and himself many pictures in her letters over the summer; her muggle friends, her brothers, and her bothersome new kitten. She used a muggle polaroid camera, so the images were still. The one Fred was holding now was the only picture that she had sent to Fred and Fred alone. Of course, the two never received the exact same pictures, but they both usually received one. One day, nearing the end of the summer, each twin had had a letter from Ruth, as per usual. However, that day, Fred's was the only letter that contained a snapshot. Fred rather enjoyed receiving the pictures (though he would never admit it) and was secretly pleased when upon questioning, realized that she hadn't sent one to George that day.

She had written in her letter that one of her friends had taken the picture and that she rather liked it, but that it was slightly vain to have a picture of yourself hanging on your wall, wasn't it? Someone should have it, she had penned. Fred was glad that it was him, and not George (though he would never admit to that either).

"Oi, sorry, I got sidetracked," George interrupted Fred's thoughts as he sidled in next to him. Fred unceremoniously shoved the picture back into his pocket before George could notice. George was brushing off his pants, and trying to look casual as screams rang out from one of the compartments.

"Sounds like it was worth the wait." Grateful that George had been too distracted to see the picture, Fred turned his attention to the sea of students and parents still saying their goodbyes. He spotted a tall boy with dark hair, already wearing his bronze and blue Ravenclaw tie.

"Hey, there's Sully," Fred told his brother, "I suppose that means Ruth's around here somewhere, eh?"

"I guess that it would." George replied. He smiled to himself. He had seen Fred not so discreetly shove that blasted picture back into his pocket (though he would never admit it).

\---

"I really don't see why it is such a big deal that I was speaking to Cedric." Ruth pouted, staring angrily out of the window. "You two are so childish."

"He was carrying your trunk around like some dutiful servant." George sneered.

"He offered to!"

"I guess chivalry isn't dead." Fred scoffed.

"Honestly, Cedric was just being friendly." She replied. "It's not his fault you two are such prats that you can't be pleasant to anyone on an opposing team."

"Listen, we don't hate Pretty Boy Diggory just because he plays for a different Quidditch team," George started.

"The fact that it's Hufflepuff's team is the more important factor." Fred finished.

"Y'know I still think that I should've been in Hufflepuff. Would you have even been friends with me if I was?" She leaned forward with that question.

"You're way too stubborn to be a Hufflepuff," George laughed.

"And you're not in Hufflepuff, so it doesn't matter." Fred added, crossing his arms over his chest. She huffed at this and flopped back against her seat.

"You guys are too judgey and mean."

"You are too nice."

"Agree to disagree." And with that, she pulled a book out of her bag and opened it to her marked page.

\---

"Hellooo beautiful," Lee Jordan crooned as he climbed into the carriage, slipping his arm around Ruth's shoulder as he took the last open seat. As soon as the final spot was filled, the carriage began to move towards the castle. "'Lo Fred, George."

"Hi, Lee," Ruth grunted, shrugging his arm off of her. He chuckled and pushed his short black dreads back. All three boys immediately began talking hurriedly about the Dementor guards that had boarded the train, and a number of other things that Ruth didn't particularly care about. She instead turned her attention to the darkening sky, waiting for the first view of the castle to appear. When the many towers and turrets were finally visible, the stars were out. Ruth smiled dreamily at the castle for a moment, choosing to focus on its incredible beauty, rather than the impending preparation for her OWL's or the horrible cloaked figures that seemed to drain the life out of her.

Fred had momentarily diverted his attention from the latest on the hunt for Sirius Black. Ruth looked like a ghost in the moonlight, he thought. Her skin practically glowed blue, and something about the soft lighting left her looking otherworldly. He finally acknowledged something that'd been bothering him for the past few hours. If she had been in Hufflepuff, they most certainly would not have been friends. It made him feel sick and a little guilty that he would never have known her because of something so stupid; but he knew that she was right. She felt his gaze on her and turned to him with a lazy smile.

"Y'know, I was so angry with you two on the train I forgot to ask about Egypt. I know you wrote me all about it, but I'm sure the details are much more fascinating in person."

Fred thought about all the really incredible things they had seen in Egypt. After a few minutes of telling her all about the cursed pyramids and two headed skeletons they'd seen, George and Lee joined the discussion. George had some rather interesting things to add that Fred had omitted, though Ruth thought he was more than likely embellishing his stories a bit.

"As brilliant as the trip was, I could have done without Percy's nonstop Head Boy comments." George rolled his eyes and everyone laughed.

"He's excited," Ruth chuckled. "Let him be."

"I think you'll be singing a different tune when he starts docking you for sneaking out to the kitchens after curfew." Fred kicked her foot lightly, and she stuck her tongue out at him. Ruth and the twins were notorious for their midnight trips to the kitchens in search of sweets and leftovers from dinner. In fact, this mutual love of late night snacks is what led to their close friendship.

Before Ruth could shoot back a response, the carriage came to an abrupt halt. They had finally arrived at the castle.

\---

The Welcoming Feast was magnificent as always. The candles hung low above the tables, casting a soft yellow light across the faces of all the students. The magicked ceiling reflected the sky outside, and the stars twinkled above as if there was no ceiling at all.

George drummed his silverware on the empty gold plate in front of him. "If they don't get the sorting over with soon I'm gonna starve to death." The platters and bowls down the center of Gryffindor table remained bare, bewitched so they would not fill until the Sorting Ceremony was complete. The doors of the Great Hall swung open, as Professor McGonagall led the first years in. Minerva McGonagall was a stern looking woman, that not many sane people would dare defy. Her half-rim spectacles perched on the tip of her nose allowed her to peer disdainfully down at anyone who stepped out of line. Her thick black hair, now streaked with gray, was pulled taught into a bun. The only sound in the entire Hall was the click of her heeled dragon-hide boots on the stone floor. It was no wonder that the first year witches and wizards looked so nervous; not only were they led by perhaps the strictest witch in the school, they were about to be sorted into their houses – their pseudo family for the next seven years.

The sorting was as entertaining as it had ever been, cheers and hoots elicited for each and every student by their respective houses as the hat called out it's decision. As soon as the last first-year sat down McGonagall whisked the sorting hat away once again and Dumbledore rose to give his beginning of the year address.

Just as Dumbledore began to speak, a young witch sat herself down between Ruth and the third-year next to her.

"Ruth!" The girl whispered excitedly, hugging her sideways on the bench, "I missed you! So sorry I never caught up with you guys on the train. Hello, Fred, George, Lee." She nodded at each of the boys in question.

"I just saw you three days ago, Laidey." Ruth laughed. "Where did you end up after the prefect meeting anyway?" Ruth wiped a smudge off of the shiny new prefect badge that Adelaide Danielson had pinned proudly to her school robes.

"Oh yes," Fred crooned, "I forgot we had a new prefect in our midst." George snickered and Adelaide rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Freddie," The witch replied, tucking a piece of her blonde bob behind her ear. "You really should be trying to get me on your side, you see, it would be like having a spy on the inside. Much easier to avoid being written up if one of your best friends is a prefect, don't you think?"

George leaned across the table, grabbed Adelaide's hand, and kissed it dramatically. "How I've missed you, Addy." She pulled her hand away but giggled. George was the only one who called her that.

"Oh George, you were already on my good side so stop sucking up." Adelaide continued, "Anywhooo, the prefect meeting ran a little late, and then I ended up in a compartment with Angelina, Katie, and Alicia. I did mean to come find you four on the train but after the whole mess with the dementors... things got a little hectic and I had to calm down some of the first years."

"Actually, Lee you didn't find us until the carriages. Where were you on the train?" Ruth questioned, turning to the handsome black boy on her left. He looked a bit caught off guard, and if Ruth didn't know any better, she'd say flustered.

He regained his composure quickly. "Jealous, my dear? Don't worry, there's plenty of me to go around." Ruth started to protest as the rest of the group laughed, but at that moment Dumbledore finished speaking and the golden platters filled magically with glorious food. The five Gryffindors piled their plates high and dug in.

Lee was grateful for the interruption; he had never had a hard time lying, it came naturally, really. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone more charismatic, and he knew it. But there was always something different about lying to your friends, and this lie was eating him up. He took a bite of a buttered roll even though he suddenly wasn't feeling all that hungry.

\---

There were five Gryffindor fifth year girls; Ruth Parker, Adelaide Danielson, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, and Elisabeth Hannigan. They were all relatively close, at least for the sake of maintaining civility in their room. Much, much later that evening, Ruth fell into her four-poster bed as Elisabeth began her enthusiastic retelling of all the gossip she heard that summer.

"Oh, and you'd never believe what I heard about Johnny Carlisle and Elowyn Finstrom! Actually, knowing Johnny, I'm sure it's not that surprising, but Elowyn is no tart so I was shocked, to say the least." Elisabeth was a tall lean girl, built like a ballerina if ballerinas were almost six feet tall. She was combing her hair as she related this information. She had a very specific way of sharing her gossip, in which she almost never told the story in full detail.

"Betty, what are you talking about?" Adelaide stood in the doorway to their connecting loo, mouth full of foam, and toothbrush in hand.

"Oh, right of course," She giggled airily, "Well, Johnny and Elowyn hooked up on the beach this summer, and they got caught by some poor old muggle man."

"Wait, wasn't Elowyn dating that Slytherin bloke?" Angelina piped up. She was braiding Alicia's hair. Most of the time, the pair typically listened in on the gossip without actively participating, but this was particularly interesting.

Betty grinned slyly at this. "She still is. Poor oblivious bloke, he doesn't know about Johnny." She continued on with the rest of the rumors she'd collected on the train, including but not limited to, Fred and George Weasley stealing an ancient relic from Egypt (not true), Rawlins Murphy getting a magical nose job (decidedly true), and some Ravenclaw boy was supposedly gay (no one could verify this information, on account of none of the five girls knowing who the Ravenclaw boy, Timothy something or other, was).

The girls settled in not long after this, and it didn't take much longer than ten minutes before most of them were asleep. Ruth stared at the top of her bed and smiled to herself; she couldn't quite explain it, but something felt different about this year. This one was going to be big, she just knew it.


	2. Chapter 2

Fred woke with a start. He had slept like rubbish, and when he had been falling into a deep sleep at last George threw back the curtain of his four-poster bed.

"Rise and shine," George sighed, "I let you sleep as long as I could but we really have got to get down to breakfast if we want to get our schedules from McGonagall." Fred pulled the covers over his head and groaned loudly.

"Can't you get mine for me and bring me some toast?" He yawned. George grabbed the covers from Fred and yanked them back down.

"Fat chance."

"Prat."

"Git." George retreated and went back to his dresser, satisfied that Fred at least sat up. All of the other boys in their year had gone down to breakfast besides Lee, who was fastening his robe and about to head out the door.

"Keeping to tradition, eh Weasley's? Always the last ones down." Lee raised his eyebrows at the twins and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"New year, new me is not a motto I typically live by," Fred said snidely. He was finally stripping out of his pajamas and pulling on his trousers. Lee laughed as he left and said that he would see the pair down in the hall.

"You better hurry it up or I'm gonna go down without you too," George pressed, tossing Fred's school jumper at the frantic, less clothed twin.

"What's with the goodie two shoes act, Georgie?" Fred questioned, finishing the knot on his tie. "Starting the year on the right foot for any particular reason?"

"Jesus, no, I just don't want to be late for once in our lives. There's never any bacon left by the time we get there."

\---

George was right, by the time the twins finally made their way down to the Great Hall there wasn't any bacon left.

"Damnit, Fred" George cussed, sitting down on the bench at the Gryffindor table between Lee and Adelaide. George eyed a piece of bacon, untouched, on Adelaide's plate and he suddenly changed his demeanor. "Good morning, Miss Addy, you are looking ravishing as ever this fine morning."

Adelaide narrowed her eyes. She did look lovely, she always did, but she could see through George's thinly veiled charm. "Good morning, George." She picked up the bacon and handed it over.

"God, I love you," George quipped happily. Ruth noticed a slight blush on the blonde girl's cheeks.

"You just missed McGonagall," Ruth started, handing two sheets of parchment over to the twins. "You'd not believe how hard it was for me to convince her to give them to me, you goons. Morning, by the way."

"Oh, what would we do without you ladies?" George grinned, mouth full of bacon.

"Die, probably." Ruth said. Fred threw an arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze.

"Probably," Fred agreed, tucking the schedule into the pocket of his robe. Ruth had already finished her breakfast and was examining her classes. Fred leaned closer and peered over the sheet with her, all the while rapidly shoveling in bites of oatmeal. "God, we've got Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. Color me stoked."

"Oh good," Adelaide started, "They're great at Herbology, I can use all the help I can get."

"Ruth is plenty good for me," Fred said.

"Yes, well, that's my point, isn't it? If you're always partnered with Ruth who is supposed to help me? Certainly not George or Lee." She whined, and then added, "No offense, guys."

"None taken," George shrugged, unbothered by her comment as he was actually quite skilled at Herbology, he just didn't care enough to be of any help. Lee was staring off in the distance, but before George could question his lack of a smart-ass response and see where he was looking to, Fred spoke again.

"Well if we're in class with Pretty Boy Diggory I imagine I'll be out of a partner as well." He made no attempt to hide his irritation, but the girls didn't seem to notice, or care. "He and Ruth seemed awfully friendly yesterday."

"Gosh, he is dreamy, he was looking ridiculously fit at the prefect's meeting," Adelaide gushed. Ruth nodded in agreement and Fred and George exchanged an eye roll.

"He was carrying Ruth's trunk around for her like a perfect gentleman." George shared. He'd meant to sound callous but Adelaide seemed properly impressed.

"Cedric came up to you yesterday? And after he'd been writing you this summer?" Adelaide thought out loud. She turned to look at the handsome Hufflepuff, who was laughing with some friends. He felt the group looking at him, and gave a small wave accompanied by an uncertain smile.

"Stop," Ruth begged, and Adelaide whipped back around to face her friend after returning Cedric's wave enthusiastically. She leaned forward across the table.

"Do you think..."

"No, it couldn't be."

"I mean, it would explain – "

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"Hey," Fred interrupted. "Do you mind speaking in full sentences here?"

"We haven't developed the shorthand you two seem to have going." George added. Adelaide let out a small giggle and squealed. Ruth tried to hush her but Adelaide spoke before Ruth could even beg her to stop.

"Well, I'm thinking maybe Cedric fancies Ruth," Adelaide whispered, conscious of the fourth year girls sitting near them. At this, Lee finally let out a laugh. Ruth cast him a furious look.

"Sorry, Ruth, I think you're beautiful, obviously, but it's Cedric we're talking about here."

"I know, that's why I was arguing with Laidey, but you didn't have to say it." Ruth angrily stabbed at a fried potato, despite having finished eating.

"You're a prat, Lee," Adelaide said, "Anyway, I think I'm right. You'll see." Fred felt an angry twist in his stomach. He thought Adelaide was right, too, and he really didn't like it.

"Whatever, I think you're all prats," Ruth huffed, "I'm going to head to Charms and save us seats, see you lot soon." And with that, the brunette witch was gone. Fred watched, his irritation only growing as he saw Cedric look up at Ruth's passing, too.

"I don't get what you birds see in that git, anyway," He said quietly.

"Don't worry, plenty of girls fancy you, too," Adelaide teased and patted Fred's hand. George frowned as he watched his brother sadly poke at his plate, and thought he should make a quick change of subject.

"At least we'll destroy him at Quidditch, eh?"

"I'll drink to that," Lee grinned, and the three boys clinked their glasses of pumpkin juice.

"Boys," Adelaide sighed, but she couldn't help but smile, too.

\---

The rest of the week passed with relatively no excitement. Everyone settled back into the routine of school quickly, and the only buzz going around was the continuous hunt for Sirius Black. It was Friday before they knew it, and the fifth year Gryffindors found themselves in the greenhouses that afternoon with the Hufflepuffs. Ruth sat alone at a station, tapping her foot anxiously as she awaited the arrival of her usual partner. Adelaide had already paired up with a girl from Hufflepuff named Cindy who they knew always had high marks, and Lee was talking to Angelina and Alicia. Fred and George were still nowhere to be found. Professor Sprout was cheerful as ever and she urged the students who were milling around and chatting to find their seats.

More on Cedric Diggory: He was a handsome boy, almost devastatingly so. An only child, and he was doted on by his parents and girls alike. To add to his fortunate good looks, Cedric was smart, a talented Quidditch player, a prefect, and perhaps most attractive of all, he was kind. Popular with nearly everyone, the exception being the Weasley twins, Cedric was once again with a group of his friends that Friday afternoon. Ruth was not the only girl in the greenhouse casting sideways glances at the boy. He truly was adored by nearly everyone; Hufflepuff's golden boy, so to speak.

Thus, when Cedric Diggory broke from his pack at Professor Sprout's gentle reminder, Ruth (and every other girl in the greenhouse) was shocked that he approached her at her station.

"Hi, Ruth," He greeted. He had a perfect smile. Broad, kind, even. "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"No, of course, please sit," She said awkwardly, pulling her bag off of the chair and moving it to the ground. So much for Fred. Ruth folded her hands in her lap and gave Cedric a nervous grin. She had always behaved perfectly normal around Cedric before, she'd dare say they were even friends. But now with all the teasing from the twins, and speculations from Adelaide, she found herself feeling more unnatural than ever.

At that moment, Fred and George entered the greenhouse and Sprout shot them a chastising look.

"Sorry Professor," They chorused. Fred scanned the room quickly, and scowled when his eyes landed on Ruth and Cedric. She mouthed sorry to Fred, but he ignored her entirely and sat at the last empty station with George.

"That's just like them, isn't it?" Cedric shook his head. Ruth couldn't tell if he was annoyed or amused.

"What? Being late, you mean?" Ruth laughed, "Yeah, punctuality isn't exactly a strength of theirs." Sprout started the lesson soon after. It was a short lecture on extracting juice from various poisonous plants, and then the students were given their assignment and time to work. Cedric was quite good at Herbology, better even than Ruth, and the pair managed to finish the in-class portion rather quickly.

"Lovely work," Professor Sprout nodded appreciatively at the vials they had collected. She gave them a few pointers on harvesting the juice more efficiently, and then went on her way. Ruth tried to stifle her laugh at Sprout's lamenting over the twins' vials.

"So, you wrote a few times, but how was your holiday?" Cedric asked. He was the type of person that was good at making small talk, and genuinely seemed interested in what you had to say. They chatted for a bit before the end of class came and Sprout dismissed them all. "It was nice to catch up, I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Yeah, you too, Cedric. See you around," Ruth answered. She watched him join his mates before turning to her own best friends. They stood off to the side, waiting for Ruth, arms crossed against their chests.

"Well, well, well," George tsked.

"You bloody traitor," Fred snapped. George was only teasing, but Ruth thought Fred sounded genuinely angry. "You know, when I made the joke about you partnering with Cedric this week I was doing just that: joking."

"Hey, you were the one who was late!" She protested, walking past the red-haired duo and making her way up to the castle. They followed.

"That's hardly an excuse. We're always partners!" Fred argued.

"Listen, Cedric came up to me. I didn't ask him, and if you had been there when you were supposed to be wouldn't have even been able to ask me."

"I see, so you're entirely without blame here, is that it?"

"Oh, for the love of Merlin, you two," George shouted, exasperated. "Not that big of a deal. Anyway, Lee is always my partner and he was already with someone else and I wasn't about to work alone, so that's what we get for being late, Fred. And Ruth, a simple apology goes a long way."

"I'm sorry, Fred," Ruth mumbled, nudging into Fred lightly with her shoulder as they walked.

"Me too," Fred replied. "Just wait for me next time, alright?"

"How about you just come on time next week?"

"Deal."

\---

Lee Jordan had never been in a relationship. It wasn't for a lack of interest from the girls at Hogwarts, no, Lee didn't have a problem in that respect. He was charming and cute, and a total flirt. Lee was mulling this over as he ate his dinner that evening. Something Angelina had said during Herbology just wouldn't get out of his head.

"Lee, why haven't you ever had a girlfriend?" She had asked. A simple enough question. One that Lee was ready to answer in classic Lee fashion.

"Sweetheart, why have a girlfriend when I can have six, seven, twenty girls instead?" She had rolled her eyes, but Lee knew she wasn't questioning his answer. But there, at the dinner table, nearly two hours later, Lee was questioning his own answer. Why hadn't he had a proper girlfriend? He'd snogged loads of birds before. But no one had interested him enough to see long term.

Until now, he thought. Lee quickly shook the thought from his head and tried to turn his attention back to his friends' conversation and away from the Ravenclaw table.

\---

Adelaide Danielson was decidedly a morning person. She genuinely could not recall a time she'd slept any later than eight am and even that was late in her book. None of her friends, however, were morning people, so it was thus that Saturday morning, fifteen minutes before seven, Adelaide found herself sitting alone at Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. There were no more than twelve people in the entire room from the four different houses combined. The blonde witch stared up at the bewitched ceiling, head on her hand, watching some clouds float lazily by in the fading sunrise. There was something magical about the mornings, she thought.

Her coffee was cold, and a pale caramel color from all the cream she used. Fred and George always gave her and Ruth shit for not drinking it black, but Adelaide thought it was better to enjoy the coffee if she was going to drink it, than suffer through the bitterness on principle. Boys chose the silliest hills to die on sometimes – and black coffee was certainly one of the sillier arguments she'd heard.

Fred and George Weasley were decidedly not morning people. Sometimes, though, a prank called for intensive preparation and planning. The required prep for a prank that would last all of thirty seconds could take hours, sometimes days, of considerable effort. And so, on that Saturday morning, ten minutes before seven, Fred and George had not yet been to bed and were nearing the completion of a ten-step plan.

Adelaide was still sitting in the Great Hall at seven-thirty, long done with her breakfast. She continued to sip at her cold coffee though as she did a bit of people watching; this early in the semester she didn't have much homework, and none pressing enough to begin on a Saturday before noon.

Cedric had fallen asleep too early the night before, and so he was awake earlier than usual. He had decided to go ahead and get breakfast and was not surprised to see that there were very few people in the Great Hall, and even fewer that he'd want to speak to. He noticed Adelaide, whom he was not that well acquainted but he was on friendly enough terms with, especially now that they were both prefects, and had an idea. She had already been watching him when he walked in, and Cedric pretended not to notice her terrible attempt at acting otherwise.

"Good morning, Adelaide," He greeted. She looked up from a coffee that she had been paying close attention to since the second he began walking towards her.

"Oh!" She said, faux shock. "Good morning, Cedric."

"Have you finished eating already?" He asked. There was a bare plate in front of her, a few crumbs remaining. She nodded. "Would you like to take a walk with me around the grounds, then?" He noticed a faint blush on her cheeks. Cedric was rather used to this sort of reaction from girls. Not in an arrogant way, but he was aware of the effect he had. It's just the way things were.

"Er, yes," She answered. "Sure."

"Great," Cedric smiled. "Let me grab a muffin and we'll be off."

It was an awkward sort of walk. Cedric, usually adept at conversation, had overestimated the number of things the pair would have to discuss. The grounds were lovely despite the awkward tension, the canvas of Adelaide's sneakers wet from the early morning dew.

"So," Adelaide began after twenty minutes of near silence and strange attempts at conversation that went nowhere. This wasn't like her. Awkward, yes. Incapable of speech? Not usually. Damn Cedric Diggory. "This has been... odd. Perhaps I'll go see if any of my friends are up for the day yet."

"Sorry," He apologized. "I didn't think this would be nearly as uncomfortable as it was. I'll walk you back to the castle." They continued in silence, though less awkward than before. Something about openly admitting that a situation was awkward made it significantly less so. Adelaide was cursing herself silently; this was an opportunity of a lifetime. Every girl's dream was to be asked on a walk by Cedric and she was acting like a fool. Of course, she knew Ruth fancied Cedric, but she was only human. They reached the Great Hall.

"This is where we part ways, I think." She smiled and gave a halfhearted wave, wanting to die inside. She'd made it down a few corridors when she heard footsteps rapidly coming from behind, and she whirled around to see Cedric, a flush in his cheeks.

"Actually, Adelaide, there was something I wanted to ask you." He rushed.

"Okay, go ahead then."

"Do you, uh," Cedric looked as though he were searching for words. In four years of school together Adelaide had never seen him look nervous like this. "Do you know if Ruth is seeing either of the Weasley twins?"

There was a long pause. Adelaide stared. "You mean like, romantically?"

"Well, yes."

"Oh," She almost laughed. "No, no they're just mates."

He smiled. Adelaide couldn't help but smile in return. Despite her moment of weakness earlier in pining over the golden-brown haired boy (who could blame her?) she was pleased to hear that she'd been right. Cedric did fancy Ruth. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, they're like brothers to her." She reassured him, though she didn't know necessarily that she had given him the whole truth. He smiled, thanked her, and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Adelaide?" Cedric started once more, "Could you maybe not mention this to her?"

"Scouts honor," Adelaide replied, saluting him.

"Sorry, what?"

"Oh, a muggle thing," She laughed. "You have my word."

Fred and George Weasley were decidedly not morning people. Yet, somehow, against all odds, Fred stood at the end of the corridor, just around the corner, waiting to complete the last step in an all-night scheme.

Adelaide nearly jumped out of her skin when she rounded that corner and ran headlong into the red-head who was standing, frozen.

"Oh shit," She said quietly. "Hi Fred." This is where things got complicated, you see, Adelaide had lied to Cedric Diggory just moments before. She wasn't sure that there wasn't something romantic happening between one particular twin and Ruth, or at least, that there wasn't a distinct possibility of something romantic happening between them some day. Fred had bags under his eyes; Adelaide wondered if he'd slept.

Neither of them said anything for a moment.

"You know I hate that prat," He said finally.

"I know." They started walking together back towards the common room. After a while Adelaide said, "I think you should tell Ruth."

"Believe me, I've told her plenty of times how I feel about Pretty Boy Diggory," Fred rolled his eyes.

"No," Adelaide stopped walking. "I mean how you feel about her." Now Fred stopped. He was a few paces ahead.

"What do you mean by that?" God, boys were thick, Adelaide thought.

"That you fancy her, of course!"

"I do not fancy, Ruth!" Fred nearly shouted. He realized he was being a bit overzealous in his response and he felt blood rushing to his cheeks. "Like you said, Laidey, I'm like a brother to her." 

Adelaide decided this was not an argument worth having now, just after eight fifteen in the morning. "Alright." She replied simply and continued walking. Fred had been lying and they both knew it. Yes, Adelaide thought, boys chose the silliest hills to die on.

Somewhere, in another part of the castle entirely, George Weasley was waiting for a signal from his brother that would never come. He pulled out a bewitched map and watched, annoyed, as two dots labeled for Fred and Adelaide walked to the common room.


	3. Chapter 3

Sunday mornings at Hogwarts were usually rather quiet, everyone finally getting around to the homework they'd been putting off. It was typically the busiest day of the week in the library, sometimes it was even hard to find a table to sit at in the afternoon.

Ruth and Adelaide had spent most of their Saturday afternoon in the library instead, fully intending to get all of their homework done and do absolutely nothing on Sunday. Fred and George slept most of the day, after staying awake for the entire night for a prank that never came to fruition. Ruth sensed some anger from George on that front but neither seemed too keen on discussing the subject.

Fred had been acting a bit cold to Ruth which she chalked up to the Herbology incident (which, if Ruth had truly used her critical thinking skills, she would have realized that made no sense since Fred had been perfectly cheery with her Friday evening after they made up) but all seemed resolved and back to normal at Sunday breakfast.

"What shall we do today?" Adelaide asked, pouring herself another cup of coffee. She had already eaten her breakfast hours earlier, but journeyed back down to the Great Hall with the rest of her mates.

"I was thinking about doing some painting," Ruth said, spreading some jam onto a slice of toast, "But I'm open to suggestions if there's a group activity one of you had in mind."

The twins looked at each other and grinned devilishly.

"George," Fred started, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I believe that I am, Fred," George answered. Lee seemed to catch on right away and added his approval.

"Let me ask the other girls," Fred said quickly, abandoning his plate and moving down the table to where Alicia, Katie, and Angelina were sat.

No more than an hour later, the eight Gryffindors were standing on the Quidditch pitch. Fred was pulling open the doors to the shed where all of the equipment was held; technically they weren't supposed to be there, so he'd had to use some unorthodox methods to unlock it. Quidditch practices hadn't started yet so he knew that no one would have time reserved, and it was hardly the first time they'd played a sneaky game when they weren't allowed. He tossed a few of the extra brooms down into the grass since Lee, Ruth, and Adelaide didn't have their own.

"How're we doing this?" Fred asked.

"I don't know, should we split into the usual teams?" Ruth questioned in return. Angelina was helping her strap on some protective gear over the thick jumper she was wearing.

"I don't know, have you gotten any better at flying over the summer?"

Ruth stuck her tongue out at the redhead, a clear indication that her answer was no. The usual teams that Ruth had brought up consisted of Fred, Ruth, Lee, and Angelina, versus George, Alicia, Katie, and Adelaide.

"These teams hardly seem fair anymore," Lee groaned, "Ruth is rubbish."

"Hey," She protested, "So are you!"

"Right, exactly, how are Fred and Angelina supposed to carry all the weight here?"

"I'm rubbish, too!" Adelaide piped up. (She wasn't).

"Shut up," everyone said.

"I think we've reached a point where Lee and Ruth may have to be on opposite teams to even the playing field," Fred said solemnly. George rolled his eyes but didn't argue.

"Fine, we'll take Lee, if we must."

"Great!" Lee said cheerily, picking up one of the brooms that Fred had laid out and moving to stand by his new teammates.

"Well, who are you trading in then?" Angelina asked.

"I'll just come over," Katie sighed. "I'm the Seeker though."

"Fine by me," Fred said, "That means Ruth is going to have to play Keeper." Katie was a year below the rest, but a talented Chaser. For the purposes of their makeshift game, people had to move positions around a bit since it was teams of four rather than the usual seven. Fred and George moved to either end of the field where they charmed some substitute hoops in the air, much lower to the ground and closer together than the regular goals. Five of them played for the Gryffindor team, but they had to be mindful of the fact that the other three were much less experienced fliers and try to keep the risk factor to a minimum.

With only four players each, that meant one of each position. Naturally, Fred and George were the Beaters for their respective team, and Angelina and Alicia took on their role as Chaser. Lee was going to be the other Keeper and Adelaide the Seeker since she was a much quicker flier.

"Do you want me to bewitch some of the old soft training balls to be bludgers?" George asked, already moving to do so.

"Why don't we try with real ones this year?" Adelaide suggested. "I think it's time, we can handle it." Fred looked at the blonde witch uncertainly. She was beaming with confidence; she didn't look it in her baby pink jumper, but Adelaide really was an excellent player. He'd suggest she try out for the team if they had any open spots.

"Let's do it!" Ruth added eagerly. Fred turned his attention to her now, and his uncertainty only grew. Now she was a sight for sore eyes. Ruth just didn't look quite right in Quidditch gear, even with the assistance of Angelina to ensure she was wearing it properly. She looked nervous too, despite her agreement.

"Are you sure about that?" Fred said. "I really don't want to be carrying either of you to the hospital wing this afternoon."

"Well, just do a good job as Beater and keep them away from us then," Ruth teased. Fred shook his head and shrugged at George.

"Alright then, everyone get to your places." George knelt down by the bludger box, where the two angry black balls were rattling against their restraints. Angelina took the quaffle and Fred released the golden snitch. Each of them took off on their brooms, minus George, who waited patiently for everyone to be in position. "Fred?"

"Let 'em rip, George!" Fred had his bat raised and readied himself for the impending bludgers, as his brother would need a few moments to get on his broom and into the air before he could help fight them off. George did as he was told and undid the restraints.

They'd only played a few games a year since the regular Quidditch season made it pretty difficult to find time on the pitch, and they'd only had three major injuries in as many years. Adelaide chipped her front tooth, Ruth had cracked two ribs (at the same time, so it counted as one incident in their book) and Katie had dislocated a shoulder. Not a terrible record considering. (Although it is worth acknowledging that they managed to do all of this without a single real bludger in action).

This particular Sunday, the game got rough quickly. Tempers were flying high and Fred's anxiety was at max, trying to keep the bludgers away from everyone. The twins were hardly playing the role of Beater correctly, as there were only the two of them, and they more or less sped around hitting the bludgers regardless if they were heading towards someone on their team or not.

The game was surprisingly neck and neck, as Ruth and Lee were equally terrible at goal-keeping. They were just about to call it a day after forty minutes (Quidditch was exhausting when you only had eight people total) when Adelaide took off quickly. She'd seen the snitch and Katie wasn't far behind. Fred watched, grimacing, as the bludger he just hit with all his strength towards George went slightly astray and changed direction towards the Seekers.

George tried to dive sideways and knock it off course but narrowly missed. The bludger caught up quickly and slammed into Adelaide's stomach just as she caught the snitch. She fell eight feet to the ground and landed on her back as the black ball shot back up towards Katie, who was already peeling away. While this was unfolding, Alicia turned to see what all the ruckus was then ran directly into Ruth, knocking them both off of their brooms and onto the pitch below. George and Fred got the attention of the bludgers, landed as far away from the others as possible, and wrestled the angry black balls to the ground.

"Dear God," Fred groaned. He was going to have a bruise on his chest from that tackle. Lee and Angelina landed as well; Lee grabbed the box for the bludgers and ran over to the twins where they restrained them once again.

"How is everyone else?" George questioned, jogging over to where Adelaide was sprawled. Fred heard her groan but they were far enough away that he couldn't make out any of their conversation.

Fred and Lee started hauling the equipment back to the shed when George called out. Fred turned to see him holding Adelaide much like a baby, her arms wrapped around his neck. They were standing by the rest of the gang, Ruth and Alicia still sitting on the ground.

"Oi, Fred! Lee!" George shouted, "They're all going to need to go to the infirmary!" Fred sighed heavily, shoved the brooms he was carrying into Lee's already full arms, and headed over to where they all sat. Alicia was pushing herself off the ground but stumbled forward into Fred when she tried to put weight on her right ankle.

"I think you're right about that," Fred said, adjusting himself to help prop Alicia up. "Angelina and Katie, anything wrong with you?"

"I'm fine," Angelina said and Katie shook her head.

"Both of you go back to the dormitory with Lee then. We'll see if we can keep you lot out of trouble." George started and Angelina began to argue. "No, go. No sense in all of us getting detention." They grumbled about it but did as they were told and grabbed Lee as they left the pitch. Fred looked down at Ruth where she was still sitting pitifully. Her lip was busted and blood was trickling down her chin and onto her jumper.

"I can walk," Ruth huffed, sensing Fred's concern. "I think I'm concussed but I can walk." She did, however, accept his hand to help her get to her feet.

"We just doubled our injury record in less than an hour," Adelaide pouted. "Maybe bludgers weren't a good idea."

"You think?" The twins said in unison.

\---

Madame Pomfrey had been just short of furious when the five of them burst through the door. Ruth did indeed have a concussion, Alicia had broken her ankle, and Adelaide had dislocated a shoulder, her hip, and cracked a rib. All three girls had to spend the night, but Fred and George took the full blame for the bludgers and McGonagall decided to take a bit of pity and only give the twins a detention.

"I hope your injuries have been lesson enough for you three," She had chided, shaking her head. They hadn't been, but they weren't about to tell McGonagall that.

Adelaide tried to get out of Potions class Monday morning but Madame Pomfrey sent them on their way, and things more or less went back to normal. Fred and George served their detention on Tuesday evening, which consequently led to them frantically finishing their Transfiguration homework the next morning at the breakfast table. Chaos as usual.

Wednesday afternoon Ruth was leaving the Great Hall after lunch for her Art elective (which none of her friends were taking with her) when Cedric caught up with her.

"Ruth, hello," He smiled. Lovely. "Mind if I walk you to class?"

"Be my guest," She said, "Though you should know I'm headed to the fifth floor."

"Fifth? Oh wow, where are you headed exactly?" He asked, quickly glancing at his watch.

"Art."

"Huh," Cedric laughed, "I don't know anyone else taking art as one of their electives."

"There aren't many of us," Ruth informed him. Not many people saw a practical application for a typical art class in their magical studies, not when classes like Care of Magical Creatures or Ancient Runes were options.

"Well how about I walk you halfway to Art, in that case, I've got to get back down to Muggle Studies on the first floor."

"You're in there with Lee, right?"

"Yeah, he's a nice bloke." Cedric said. "Don't know him too well outside of Quidditch announcements, though."

"He's certainly an interesting character." Ruth allowed. "I like him."

"Bit of a flirt, too, isn't he?"

"Well, yes," She agreed. "That too." They chatted a bit more about the exploits of Lee Jordan before they reached the third floor and Cedric said that he should probably turn back.

"Before I go, have you started the report for Herbology?" He questioned.

"No, not yet." Ruth had honestly forgotten about the report since they had finished the in-class portion of the assignment so quickly the week before.

"Would you like to get together tomorrow after classes and work on them then?" Cedric was smiling nervously.

"Oh," Ruth said in surprise, blushing a bit. "Yes, I'd love to!" Internally she slapped herself on the head for sounding so enthusiastic, but Cedric didn't seem to notice.

"Great," He sighed, "Looking forward to it." And he meant it.

\---

Muggle Studies was not one of Lee's favorite classes. After fourth year he had decided to drop it entirely, but on the first day of classes asked McGonagall if there was any way to have it added back to his schedule. So, there he sat, a Ravenclaw with blonde curly hair beside him.

Lee stole a sideways glance at the boy. He was so blonde that even his eyelashes were translucent. A pair of wire-framed glasses perched on the end of his long nose, which he was constantly pushing back up. The boy felt Lee looking at him and he gave him a small uncertain smile. Lee quickly turned his attention back to the boring old Professor standing at the front of the room, droning on about the postal system.

The blonde boy scribbled notes hurriedly, and Lee noticed that the pages of his textbook had already been marked up. It may have been second-hand, but Lee suspected it was highly likely that this Ravenclaw had already done the assigned reading. (Lee had not). Lee looked around to see who else in their year had stuck it out once again when Cedric Diggory caught his eye and gave him a wave. Lee nodded in return but did not smile. He didn't necessarily dislike the boy nearly as much as the Weasley twins but there was something... irritating about him. Maybe it was his perfect smile and his quiet demeanor. Or maybe it really was Fred and George wearing off on him. Either way, Lee was not keen on becoming friendly with Cedric even though he seemed like an alright sort of bloke.

Class dragged on painfully long – time did not seem to move in the same way in the Muggle Studies classroom. Lee was reconsidering his decision to rejoin this class for what had to be the thirtieth time when the professor asked a question. He did not hear the question, and would not have realized something had even been asked, had the curly blonde beside him not raised his hand.

"Yes, go ahead, Timothy," the professor said, gesturing towards Lee's table mate.

\---

Ruth woke up thirty minutes earlier than usual but still managed to be running behind schedule the next morning. This was on account of her trying desperately to apply a bit of eyeshadow and liner in addition to her usual mascara and blush. She even asked Betty if she could borrow her bronzer, to which Betty agreed but only if Ruth would let her help fix the eye makeup. Feeling frazzled, but satisfied, Ruth clipped in a small pair of silver hoop earrings before finally heading out.

She had not been sitting at the breakfast table for more than thirty seconds when Fred said, "What's going on with your eyes?"

George leaned in a bit closer and scrunched his nose. "Are you... wearing eye stuff?"

"It's eyeshadow," Ruth rushed, quite embarrassed. She poured some coffee and hurriedly made a point to change the subject. "Did you get your Charms work done?"

"No need," Fred shrugged, "We're brilliant at Charms. Besides, we're not gonna rush past that one, Ruthie."

"What's with the eyeshadow?" George asked.

"Can't I just be wearing eyeshadow?"

"No," Fred replied, "You never wear eyeshadow."

"This is true," Lee said, sitting down next to George and grabbing a goblet for juice. He looked at Ruth more closely and then nodded as if he had confirmed some great suspicion. "It's glittery, too."

"So," Ruth rolled her eyes. "I just wanted to look pretty."

"But why is what we're after here, Ruth. Keep up," George pressed.

"Do I have to have a reason for looking nice?" She was struggling to come up with a good excuse.

"Yes," All three boys chorused.

"Betty always wears makeup for no reason," Ruth protested. "She just likes to!"

"Keyword there being always," Lee said.

"You never wear eye sparkles," Fred added. "Something's going on."

At that moment, before Ruth could argue her point once again, Cedric walked over from his place at Hufflepuff's table.

"Good morning, Ruth," He greeted, "Hello, boys." He nodded his head in greeting at the twins and Lee. The latter was the only that nodded in return, while the other two just scowled.

"Good morning, Cedric," She replied. Fred was sure he could see her cheeks turning pink.

"Are we still on for tonight?"

"Yes, shall we meet in the library at say... six?" Ruth suggested. She could feel the stares of her friends.

"Sounds great. You look lovely today," Cedric added, smiling.

"She always looks lovely." Fred said indignantly. Everyone looked at him for a few seconds before Cedric replied.

"Er, right." He looked a bit confused by the sudden comment, "Well, I'll see you this evening then." Ruth bid him goodbye before whipping back to the boys.

"What the hell was that?" She whispered harshly.

"A bit rude of him to imply you looked pretty today because you're wearing that eye stuff, that's all," Fred said, his brow still furrowed and his ears bright pink.

George had a strange look on his face but came to Fred's defense, "And we were right, weren't we? There's the reason you've got that stuff on, isn't it?"

"You've got a date with Cedric!" Lee sounded too shocked for Ruth's liking.

"Ruth's got a date with Cedric?" Adelaide questioned, joining the bunch. She was positively glowing at the prospect.

"It's not a date," Ruth looked around quickly to see if there were any nosey third-years nearby before continuing, "We're just working on Herbology together."

"If that's true, why are you wearing makeup?" asked George.

"You've worked on things with us loads of times," Fred said, "Not once did you have sparkly eyes."

"This is so exciting!" Adelaide squealed. Fred and George glowered.

"Can you all just shut up?" Ruth begged. "We need to get to Charms soon anyway and we've got more important things to worry about than the state of my eyes. For example, Fred and George's unfinished homework."

"Homework at the breakfast table again? Really boys?" Adelaide sounded disappointed but she was trying not to laugh. "Are we making this a habit already?"

"Some things will never change," Fred shrugged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> I know art was never mentioned that I can remember in the books, but it was listed on the harry potter wiki as an elective class so! here it is anyway


	4. Chapter 4

Ruth had a hard time concentrating on the parchment in front of her and instead found her attention drifting to the boy sitting beside her at the table. Cedric caught Ruth looking at him and gave her a small smile. He really was dreamy, with his tan skin and grey eyes. Ruth often imagined how people might look in paint, but Cedric already looked like a renaissance painting; she thought that he'd be a lovely portrait subject in warm-toned oils.

"What?" Cedric asked softly. He didn't raise his eyes from his scroll but he cracked a knowing grin. She had been staring.

"Oh," She said, lamely looking for words, drumming her fingers on the wooden table. "I, uh, was looking at... you're much farther than I am on this report."

"Well," He smiled, "Maybe you'd have more written if you were looking at your textbook and not me, eh?" Cedric's tone was light but Ruth frowned as she blushed furiously.

"Sorry," She said awkwardly, pulling the Herbology book forward. Ruth could feel that her cheeks were red hot with embarrassment.

"Hey," Cedric quickly leaned in, noticing her discomfort. "I was only teasing." He lightly punched her shoulder and Ruth pretended to laugh but she didn't look back up at him. Cedric kept writing, casting sideways glances at the dark-haired witch. It was quite uncomfortable now, they both felt it, and Cedric wondered why he said stupid things like that.

Ruth was chewing at her lip when she cleared her throat. "What did you list as your pros for extracting venom from dangerous plants? We're supposed to have five and I can only find four." The color had faded from her cheeks but she still wouldn't meet his eye. Cedric scooted his chair a bit closer, pushed her textbook back, and moved his scroll towards Ruth.

"Here," He said, pointing to the specific section on his parchment where he discussed pros and cons. Cedric watched Ruth as her eyes moved back and forth, reading what he had penned. Suddenly she thumped herself on the forehead.

"Of course!" She gasped. "I missed the most obvious one. I was thinking way too hard about that. Thank you." Ruth finally looked at him and gave him a small, but definite, smile. Cedric was about to respond when Lee Jordan appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He placed a hand on each of their shoulders and looked down at the pair, beaming.

"Ruth! What a coincidence." Lee delighted. Ruth glowered. She looked a bit frightening, really, Cedric thought. Lee did not seem put off.

"Is it, though?"

"What are you kids up to?" He was still grinning as wide as can be.

"We're uh, working on some Herbology," Cedric said at length. Lee clapped his hands together, immediately issuing an apology to the librarian before she even had a chance to scold him.

"Great!" Lee rejoiced, grabbing a chair on the other side of Ruth and taking a seat. "I'm not quite finished with mine, either."

Lee Jordan was many things. Loud, a flirt, occasionally rude, and sometimes a bit dumb. But he was not stupid, and he was not a bad friend. It didn't take detective work to notice Fred's anger the past week, and Lee could tell it was more serious than simple Quidditch rivalry. No, Lee Jordan was not stupid.

Ruth was angry. She wrote quickly, her quill scratching the parchment so loudly a Ravenclaw at the next table shot her an odd look. Cedric thought she might tear a hole straight through her essay she was pressing so hard. He was not enthused about the new arrival, but not nearly as irritated about it as Ruth. Cedric was a bit confused because Ruth had just told him yesterday that she liked Lee, but clearly there was something else going on here that was beyond his current understanding.

"So," Lee began, "Cedric, Hufflepuff, eh?"

Cedric blinked a few times. "Yes, that's...right."

"Interesting," Lee nodded slowly.

"What gave me away? Was it the yellow and black tie? Or maybe it's the whole captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team bit?"

Lee smirked. He wasn't expecting a smart remark; Cedric always seemed like such a square. Lee took this opportunity to turn the general conversation to Quidditch and the two boys talked about it hurriedly for some time. Both obviously thought their own house would win the Cup this year, but Cedric willingly admitted that Gryffindor had the better team and that they'd be tough to beat. Lee was almost irritated with himself for how much he was genuinely enjoying the conversation; he was supposed to be on a sabotage mission here. Something about that damn boy was just so likable.

"Lee, you aren't even writing," Ruth said, clearly exasperated. She was right, of course, Lee hadn't even opened his inkpot, his parchment untouched.

"Right," Lee huffed, picking up his quill. "I'm just not very good at Herbology is all, I don't know what to say." He actually did really need to finish this report. Cedric stood and moved to the chair next to Lee, bringing his already complete assignment and textbook with him.

"Alright," Cedric started, "Let's see what you've got. Oh," He looked down at Lee's completely blank parchment. "Nothing. I guess we can work with that. Which plant were you harvesting from during class specifically?"

Before Lee had a chance to answer Ruth angrily slammed her book shut. "I'm finished. I'll see you in class, Cedric." Ruth hastily rolled up her parchment and shoved her things into her bag. She apologized again and bid farewell to Cedric before practically running out of the library. Lee was not a bad friend. Well, not to Fred anyway.

\---

George was kneeling next to a tree on the grounds, retying his tennis shoe. He'd been out for a run, partly to get back into shape before Quidditch season (that game they'd played had left him embarrassingly sore), and partly to get away from a moping Fred. He pushed a sweaty lock of hair from his eyes. People were milling around everywhere, enjoying the pleasant weather before the bitter cold of fall settled in. George checked his watch; it was only seven-fifteen. Fred was surely still sitting around the common room, sullenly waiting for Ruth to return from her study session. Another mile wouldn't hurt.

Elisabeth approached the redhead and flopped down into the grass next to where he was kneeling. She was holding a book and looked a bit perturbed.

"Uh, hi," George said.

"Hi." She replied.

"What's going on?"

"What?" Elisabeth asked, not really paying attention to her companion. "Oh, nothing." She was looking at a group of boys George didn't really recognize at the edge of the lake.

"Elisabeth, we're not exactly mates and you've joined me out of nowhere with seemingly no intention of actually engaging with me, so I'd assume something is up."

"Call me Betty," She quipped, finally turning towards him. "Also, rude, we are so friends." George raised his eyebrows at her. "Fine, acquaintances."

"I think we could compromise and settle on friends by association." She smiled at this but Elisabeth's eyes didn't crinkle at the corners. George was not overly invested in her well-being, but he liked her enough to be concerned. Something was definitely not right. He followed her gaze back to the boys by the lake. "Elisabeth."

"Betty."

"Fine, Betty. Who are those boys?" George pressed. One of them kept looking back at the pair and George did not like it.

"You see, that's the thing. I don't know." She sounded uneasy. "That tall one,"

"The one who keeps staring?" George interrupted.

"Yes, him. I keep seeing him around. I thought it was a coincidence at first, but I think maybe he's following me."

"That's odd." George agreed. He shifted into a sitting position instead of kneeling, and tried to focus more clearly on the boy in question. "Yeah, he's skeevy looking."

"I'm just not sure what his interest in me is suddenly, he's a seventh year and I'm not particularly beautiful or popular or talented." Elisabeth wondered aloud. "So, I don't even know why he'd know who I am."

"Hey, don't say that," George scolded. "I do think it's strange, though. I don't like the looks of him."

"Oh well, I thought he looked like he was going to approach me, so that's why I got up from where I was reading and came over to you. Do you mind if I sit with you for a while?"

"I was actually about to keep running," George said, "But you're welcome to join me." They both looked down at Elisabeth's shiny black Mary Janes.

"Maybe I'll just head back up to the dormitory."

George sighed. "No, you should enjoy the weather while it's still nice. Go ahead and read, I'll sit. I haven't got anything better to do anyway." She flipped her book open and started thumbing through the pages, looking for where she'd left off.

"Where's your brother?" She asked.

"He's... preoccupied..." George trailed off. "Wait, you only said brother. Do you not... have you not known which twin I am the entire time?"

"George?" She shrugged innocently.

"That was clearly a guess." He laughed. "A lucky one, though."

"Sorry," Elisabeth apologized through her giggles. She began reading.

"Just when I thought we were becoming friends, Elisabeth."

\---

Ruth was sitting on a stone fence in one of the courtyards where Adelaide had been waiting to meet her after the library with Cedric.

"Oh, you're earlier than I expected," Adelaide had said, surprised. Ruth relayed the evening to her best friend and glumly watched as she tried to charm one on of potted plants blue (to no avail). Once Ruth had finished, Adelaide dropped her wand to her side and scratched at her nose while she searched for something to say. "I'm not going to sugarcoat this one for you, love. That's pretty embarrassing."

"Right?" Ruth shuddered. "It was bad. One of the worst displays of human interaction I'd ever seen."

"I can't believe Lee did that, though," The blonde mumbled quietly. She waved her wand at the plant again. Nothing. Adelaide could not get the hang of nonverbal spells.

"I'm not shocked, I'm just confused."

"Me too! Do you think these plants are like charm repellent or something?"

"What? No, I don't know. I meant confused about why Lee was sabotaging my study... event." Ruth ranted.

"You can say date, Ruth," Adelaide chided. "I don't particularly understand either, Lee is just a prat sometimes. Maybe he's jealous."

"Of what?" Ruth exclaimed. Her friend cursed as the plant stubbornly remained green.

"I don't know, I'm just spitballing here, pal."

"Whatever, not that it really matters, he interrupted a pretty awkward situation either way. He probably saved me from embarrassing myself."

Adelaide gave up again and hopped up onto the stone fence next to Ruth. "That's one way to look at it. Maybe it is for the best..." She thought about a certain troublemaker and the feelings she knew he had for Ruth, but Adelaide didn't know how to bring it up. George certainly knew and he never said anything, so maybe there was a good reason after all for the secrecy.

The witches looked up as someone joined them in the courtyard. He smiled awkwardly.

"Hi girls," Cedric said, "Betty said I would find you here."

"Hullo," Ruth quickly answered, quite fearful that he had overheard any of their conversation. Cedric and Ruth both looked at Adelaide somewhat expectantly.

"Oh!" Her eyes widened and she laughed nervously. "Right, I'll be off then. See you upstairs, Ruth!" She started towards the castle but turned back suddenly just as Cedric was taking her place on the stones. "Cedric, can you charm that plant – yes, that one there – can you charm it blue?"

"Blue?" Cedric asked, amused. She nodded and he did just that; the brilliant green seemed to melt away into a vivid aquamarine. Adelaide swore loudly as she left. He shot a questioning look at Ruth but she merely shook her head. They sat for a bit silently before Cedric blurted, "Do you want to be my partner again tomorrow?"

Ruth smiled sadly and inwardly cursed Fred. "I'd love to be, really, but I already have a partner. For life, basically."

"A Weasley?" Cedric questioned. He didn't seem upset or embarrassed, just curious.

"They're my best friends," She explained and he nodded, smirking.

"So I've gathered." He clapped his hands on his thighs and hopped to his feet. "Would you like to walk?"

"Alright," She took his hand as a polite gesture to help her down even though she didn't need any assistance, but released it the second she was on the ground. Her skin tingled lightly from his touch. "I'm sorry I left so abruptly there, Lee was pissing me off."

"Yeah, I picked up on that, too."

"Quite clever, aren't you?" Ruth teased. He laughed. They walked around the grounds for half an hour before it started to get dark and Cedric suggested they get back before curfew. Ruth thought that was a bit lame but didn't tell him so. (He was a prefect, after all).

Cedric already knew where the entrance to Gryffindor was so he walked her all the way to the portrait of the Fat Lady. "I had a really nice time with you, Ruth. Sorry things got off to such a weird start in the library with Lee and well, you know..." He cleared his throat but didn't finish his sentence.

"Right." Ruth nodded. "I, uh, had a nice time, too. Sorry I ran out."

"No need to apologize, it was a strange evening. Good, but strange." Cedric smiled. He was glowing in the light of the torches that lined the corridor, flickering gold.

"You look like a painting," She remarked. He looked surprised and his smile faltered for a second, before returning even broader than before. "That's why I was looking at you in the library." Ruth could tell she was blushing; she couldn't figure out why she was telling him that.

"Oh," He said quietly, trying to think of something to say. "I really was only teasing you earlier. You can look at me whenever you want." She giggled. It was a lovely sound, Cedric thought.

"I'll keep that in mind." Ruth knew at that moment that she'd paint a portrait of Cedric at some point in her life, guaranteed. A face like that deserved to be immortalized. "Goodnight, Cedric."

Softly, "Goodnight, Ruth."

"That is one good looking chap," The Fat Lady swooned.

"Oh shut up," Ruth grinned, whispering the password (cogswaggle) so that painting swung forward and allowed her to enter.

\---

Fred was trying very hard to think about anything but Ruth and her date with Cedric. Consequently, that was the only thing he could think about. He sat in the common room in an armchair near the fire for quite some time before giving up on that entirely. Against his better judgment, he left for the library. His intent was merely to spy, see what was taking so damn long but was unpleasantly surprised when he did not find them there. So, he was back in the armchair.

Lee and George had both made their way back to Gryffindor Tower but had barely spoken to the irritable Fred before retreating to their dormitory. Fred flipped his wand, over and over, watching the sparks it emitted absent-mindedly. Flip, sparks. Flip, sparks.

Fred turned when he heard the entrance to the common room open and watched as Ruth climbed through the portrait hole just after nine. She didn't see him. His stomach twisted painfully at her pink cheeks and the soft smile she wore. It had clearly gone well. She didn't notice Fred until she was nearly at the staircase that led up to her room, he could only imagine that she was replaying the night over in her head.

"Oh, shit," Ruth gasped. "You scared me." She looked happy to see him, though. He almost felt guilty about being so angry. Almost. Ruth sat down on the arm of his chair.

"How'd it go?" He asked, trying his best to mask his annoyance. "Pretty Boy was charming as ever?"

She rolled her eyes and ruffled his hair. "It was fine. Got my Herbology done. And you'll be happy to know that I told Cedric I couldn't be his partner tomorrow." He actually was happy to hear that, but it was not enough for him to look past her absence from the library.

"Must've taken you a long time to do the report, huh? You've been gone for three hours."

"What are you, my father?"

"No," Fred huffed, "I thought I was your best mate, but you're not supposed to lie to your best mate."

"What are you on about, Fred?" Ruth genuinely looked taken aback

"You weren't even in the library!"

"So?"

"So, you said you'd be in the library, that you were just studying." Fred tossed his wand in the air, using that as an excuse to break eye contact with her.

"And we were until- wait, why were you in the library?" She asked incredulously.

"I was, uh, checking out a book."

"You haven't borrowed a book in all the years I've known you, Fred Weasley." Ruth was not wrong about that, but then she added something that confused him. "Were you in on it with, Lee?"

"Lee? What, no, what are you talking about?" He questioned, turning to face her again.

"Why did you go to the library?" Ruth repeated.

"It was nothing, I just..." Fred watched her for a few moments. She was looking down at him expectantly, her face just a few inches above his.

"Just what?" Her voice was quiet, nonthreatening. He'd seen Ruth angry plenty of times; he'd caused her anger plenty of times. But right now, there wasn't a trace of that in her expression.

"What happened with Lee?" Fred asked, and her expression softened further. She rolled her eyes but was suppressing a small smile. 

"Oh, he was being a prat. Interrupted the date and was bothering Cedric for help with his report, I don't know. It was stupid."

"I thought it wasn't a date." They stared at each other for a few seconds; Fred desperately tried to control his tone and hoped his face wasn't betraying him.

"Do you really hate Cedric that much?" She said finally. He did. He really did. Fred knew though, at that moment, with the quiet sincerity of her question, that his response was important. How he answered this was going to matter. Yes.

"No," Fred said. "Not if you like him." Ruth ran her hand through Fred's hair again and leaned down to plant a soft kiss on his temple. Fred closed his eyes. They sat like this, on the chair together for some time, the flames in the fireplace slowly dwindling to ash as the remaining students one by one made their way to bed until Fred and Ruth were the only ones left.

"I know you're just being protective." She remarked after a while. Fred didn't know if that was true. George was protective, even Lee was protective (which Fred made a mental note to ask him about his library excursion the next day), but Fred was something else entirely. Ruth had always been closest with Fred out of the three boys, but there were times, brief moments where Fred wondered if there was something else... he shook the thought from his head. He gave Ruth's hand a small pat as if to agree with her sentiment. "Goodnight, Fred."

"Night, Ruthie," Fred smiled sadly, feeling defeated. He watched her retreat to her bedroom near the top of the spiral staircase then did the same.

George peeked through the slight gap in the curtain of his four-poster bed and saw Fred take a small polaroid out of the pocket of his trousers. He studied the picture for a bit, then tucked it away in the very bottom of his school trunk before going into their bathroom.

\---

Timothy Fernsby was timid. He always had been. So shy and quiet, in fact, that his mother had him seen by a healer when he was a boy because she was sure there was something wrong with him. (There wasn't).

He was turning sixteen at the end of the month, and he hurried through the corridors with one goal in mind. Timothy knew what he wanted for his birthday this year. He adjusted his blue and bronze tie and tried to smooth his curly hair. Anxious was a good word to describe what he was feeling, but then again, he lived in a near-constant state of nervousness. He spotted the handsome black boy he was looking for in the Great Hall.

Lee Jordan was accompanied by the Weasley twins, which he was not surprised to find. He swallowed hard and rushed towards them, sure he'd lose his nerve if he waited any longer. The boys seemed to be in an argument about the library, but Timothy wasn't listening for specifics.

"Lee," He said. All three boys turned to the smaller Ravenclaw. Lee looked surprised and a bit alarmed to see him. "Muggle Studies. Er, I have the answers for the homework if you still wanted help." Confusion, and then understanding.

"Right, yes," He turned to Fred and George, "I'm gonna go grab those answers real quick, and I'll meet you back in there for lunch."

"Don't think I'll forget this, we're not finished here!" One of the twins called after Lee as he followed Timothy into one of the corridors.

"What's going on?" Lee asked once he was sure they were out of earshot.

"I like you," Timothy said, boldly. Lee was not that tall, but he was still had a good few inches on the blonde. He narrowed his deep brown eyes and Timothy's confidence faltered.

"I like you, too," Lee replied finally, smiling. "Have I not made that clear?"

"I just wanted to hear you say it." Timothy was bright red. "It's my birthday soon."

"I know," Lee chuckled. The Ravenclaw turned quickly and pushed open a classroom door, where Lee followed him again. It was empty. "What're you doing now?"

And Timothy reached up and kissed him full on the mouth. It was awkward, they bonked noses, but he thought it was great anyway. The pair had met last year in their shared Muggle Studies class. They'd had the class together since their third year, of course, but Lee hadn't even known Timothy's name until he was very late to class once last spring. There was only one open spot left by the time he arrived, next to a small blonde Ravenclaw.

Timothy had wanted to kiss Lee since the moment he had asked if he could borrow a quill (Lee was never prepared for anything) and their fingers brushed just so. Timothy never initiated anything, ever, but he made a conscious effort to sit at the same table as Lee every week after that. Their interactions were limited, but they wrote frequently over the summer and sat together on the Hogwarts Express on September first. Lee Jordan was exciting and fun and radiated all the confidence Timothy wished he himself could have, but Timothy liked that Lee's charm seemed to fail him whenever they were together. He made Lee nervous. Timothy Fernsby was timid, usually, but he knew what he wanted, and it was Lee Jordan.


	5. Chapter 5

September was passing quickly and October (Ruth's favorite month) was almost here. She walked, or rather ran, down a corridor towards the dungeons. Ruth was going as fast as she possibly could without tripping – she was not particularly graceful.

Some days are just all-around bad, where nothing seems to go right. Any single thing that could possibly go wrong does and there is nothing to do but accept that it's simply a bad day and carry on. September twenty-seventh was one of those days for Ruth.

"Tomorrow will be better," She reassured herself, out of breath from the running. She woke up late with an angry red zit on her cheek, her hair looked terrible and no amount of styling would fix it, she could not find a single pair of matching socks, and her toothpaste fell right off of the brush onto her school jumper. By the time she'd finally left the dormitory, looking like an absolute disaster, breakfast was over. Ruth hurried to the kitchens and begged the house elves to please give her an apple, or even just a piece of bread. They had taken her request verbatim and sent her, very generously, on her way with several slices of plain bread. She was late for Potions, which was a terrible class to be late for.

Ruth froze. She'd rounded a corner to find a large Slytherin boy named Connor Jenkins pointing his wand at a small Ravenclaw girl. She had dark hair and was covered in freckles and her eyes were filled to the brim with tears. Despite her obvious distress, she had a defiant look on her face as she held up her own wand in retaliation.

"You're a stupid little girl, you don't even belong here," The Slytherin boy hissed. He might have been handsome if his features weren't twisted into such a hideous scowl. Ruth wondered what the girl could have done to anger him so.

"I belong here just as much as an oaf like you!" She spat, quite literally, onto the boy's shiny black shoe. If Connor had looked angry before Ruth didn't know that she'd even be able to come up with a word to describe his expression now. His eyes glinted and he growled something under his breath that Ruth couldn't hear but she knew it was awful. She instinctively drew her own wand.

"My parents may be muggles but I'd bet I'm ten times smarter at eleven than you'll ever be," This girl did not know when to stop. Before the boy could retaliate, there was certainly no way his response would be with words, a light flew over the Ravenclaws' shoulder and hit him square in the head. Ruth rushed forward and pushed the girl behind her, still keeping her wand trained on the Slytherin who was now covered in boils.

"Another mudblood bitch," Connor said, venomously, arm raised.

"Flipendo!" Ruth shouted and he was knocked backward and into the wall. Oops, Ruth thought. She may have been a bit too close to perform a safe knockback jinx. He scurried to his feet, eyes narrowed, but clearly intimated enough to run away. "Are you alright?"

The small freckled girl beamed up at Ruth and stuck her hand out. "I'm LilyAnna!"

"Okay, not what I asked, but nice to meet you, LilyAnna." Ruth laughed and shook the girl's hand. "I'm Ruth."

"Thank you," She said gratefully.

"Miss Parker," Ruth turned at the sound of her name, a chill running up her spine when she realized who the voice belonged to. Professor Snape stood at the end of the corridor with Connor behind him, the stupid git must have run and interrupted the Potions class to tattle. Ruth tried to reassure herself once again that tomorrow had to be better. How could it be any worse?

\---

McGonagall sat across her large oak desk and stared down her nose at Ruth, who shifted nervously in her seat. Snape had already taken ten points from Gryffindor for the jinxes Ruth cast but had dragged her to McGonagall's office for further decision on her punishment since the first-year had corroborated Ruth's story.

"Miss Parker," McGonagall sighed deeply, "I suppose I should be grateful it isn't your typical party of three sitting with me today." Ruth didn't know where she was supposed to laugh or not so instead she forced a very small smile. The older witch narrowed her eyes.

"Professor," Ruth started. She had to think carefully about how to phrase her response. "I know I should not have jinxed Connor Jenkins, but I'm not going to apologize for standing up for that first-year."

"Ruth, usually we wait to have career counseling until the spring, but I am curious if you've put any thought into your future," McGonagall said. It was not what Ruth was expecting to hear.

"Yes, well, actually I was hoping to paint," Ruth replied quietly, a bit embarrassed. "Magical portraits."

The head of Gryffindor house flicked her wand almost lazily and a piece of parchment flew out of a drawer which then closed itself. She peered down at the document and nodded a few times.

"You've got the marks for it in the required classes thus far. You're going to need to perform very well on your O.W.L.s in Art, Charms, and Potions." Ruth winced at the last class. She'd always done well enough, but she was worried about Snape after today's mishap. "Have you been practicing portraits?"

"I've done several, Professor."

"Have you successfully charmed any of them into moving?"

"Er, no Professor. We haven't learned how to brew the potion that you mix with the oils or the final charm yet." Ruth wrung her hands nervously. She honestly hadn't considered that this was something she could be behind on.

"No, they typically wouldn't teach that at the fifth-year level. I'm going to write down the name of a book for you. It's not in the library, but you can have it ordered for a fee, which I suggest you do." McGonagall picked up a beautiful quill and penned a title down on a small piece of parchment.

"Thank you," Ruth said earnestly. Advanced Techniques for Magical Oil Painting: Capturing a Perfect Shadow in Portraiture by Paolo Amada.

"As the title says, the process is quite advanced, but I believe you'll master them with practice and considerable effort," She paused to watch Ruth's reaction before continuing. "I recommend you start practicing right away. Paint as many portraits as you can, even a successfully charmed painting that moves may not accurately capture the essence of a person. That will take time, and it is not an easy field to get into."

"I understand," Ruth nodded. "Thank you for the advice." McGonagall pursed her lips, almost a smile, and then pulled out a detention slip.

"Mr. Jenkins will also be punished for his behavior this afternoon, that sort of language will not be tolerated at Hogwarts. However, as honorable your intentions were, I cannot simply allow your actions to set a precedent. You will serve one detention, Wednesday evening."

"Yes, Professor," Ruth had expected that. She sat and observed McGonagall for a moment. Stern, and hard, but not unkind. She was likely a very beautiful woman in her youth.

"You may go. Please be on time to your afternoon class, Miss Parker." Ruth thanked her again at the risk of sounding like a broken record. She sure was thanking her a lot for someone who just received a detention. Just as she was about the exit, Ruth stopped and nervously folded her slips of parchment.

"Professor McGonagall?" She asked. The woman looked up at Ruth, eyebrows raised. "Perhaps I could paint you sometime?"

"No, Miss Parker." She replied firmly and Ruth left the office. Once she was gone, McGonagall smiled.

\---

Lee was experiencing something extraordinarily painful. On one hand, he was the happiest he'd ever been. But on the other, he constantly felt like he was going to throw up. Lee knew a few gay people, it wasn't that big of a deal at Hogwarts. Most professors tried to preach tolerance and acceptance for all. Anyway, most of the conflict stemmed from arguments about blood status rather than sexuality or otherwise. Still, Lee couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

"I am..." Lee stood in the mirror, studying his reflection carefully. "G... shit." He wondered if people would look at him differently when they found out. His reputation was solidified as a popular flirt, a friend of the well-liked Weasley twins. He'd honestly snogged more birds than the pair combined, but that clearly didn't mean anything. All of those girls, Lee thought. For what?

After he had first kissed Timothy (or Timothy kissed him more like), he'd checked in the mirror, panicked. Lee was sure there would be some difference, some physical change that was evidence of what he'd done. But he looked just the same. Fred and George were oblivious at lunch, jumping right back into an argument about why Lee had sabotaged Ruth's date. Ungrateful prats, Lee thought. His mind was reeling the rest of the day, simultaneously euphoric on the high from kissing Timothy and feeling an overwhelming amount of guilt.

Lee resorted to stolen stares in Muggle Studies and writing secret letters to Timothy, fearful that if they interacted too much in person that others would grow suspicious. He'd heard rumors from Betty of Timothy being gay and he was so afraid of being associated and similarly speculated about. Not that any of the gossip was malicious that he had heard, but teenagers were nosy and always in each other's business. Lee couldn't bear the thought of being such a subject.

The door to the bathroom rattled and Lee nearly jumped out of his skin. "Oi, hurry it up in there!" Fred yelled. He banged on the wood a few times.

"Give it a rest!" Lee snapped, "I'll be out in a second." He looked in the mirror one last time. I'm still the same person, Lee thought. Handsome, cool, funny. Gay. Lee winced. "I am...me."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" And Lee flung open the door.

\---

Tuesday afternoons were great for George. He had no class and was free to screw around and do nothing with Fred and Lee. Presently, neither of them were with him as he headed back to the common room after lunch, where he assumed the pair must have been. Fred and George had been experimenting with products and potions, starting to really think about their future, and they had some things they needed Lee to test out. As George started up the staircase out of the Great Hall he noticed something peculiar. He hadn't spoken to Elisabeth much in the past few weeks, but he spotted her amongst the students leaving after lunch. That was not strange by any means, but a Slytherin boy not far from her is what struck George as unusual. It was the boy from the lake, the one watching Elisabeth, and he was definitely following her.

George thought about the chewy candy waiting upstairs, begging to make Lee deform in some way or another. He shook his head and begrudgingly pushed through a few students and hurried up to the tall Gryffindor witch. Fred and Lee would have to wait.

"Elisabeth," George greeted. He shot a look behind him to gauge the Slytherin boy's reaction. He was scowling. Elisabeth didn't seem to notice this still, and George thought it best not to scare her. "How are you? Long time no chat."

"Hi... George?" She smiled, her voice lilting with uncertainty at the end. "And please, it's Betty." She was wearing bright blue eyeshadow.

"Betty," He repeated. "You guessed right again, by the way."

"Oh, goodie."

"Where are you off to?" George asked, hoping it would be the common room.

"Divination."

"Gross."

"Shut up," She shoved him, not that gently. George rubbed his arm but grinned.

"Aren't you feisty? Mind if I walk you to class?"

"Uh, why?" Elisabeth sounded confused. "Not that I won't accept the company, just curious."

"I thought we were trying to be friends," said George. This wasn't technically a lie, George did think the pair could get along quite well. He liked her more and more each time they spoke; she was not nearly as vapid as she seemed. A gossip? Sure. But not unlikeable.

She seemed to mull this over. "Okay, yeah. Friends."

"What do you even do in Divination? Seems like a load of guesswork." He joked. Elisabeth gave him a side-eye and smirked.

"Tea leaves, crystal balls, you know, the usual."

"Are you a true Seer then?" George's voice was still dripping with sarcasm. She stopped walking and grabbed the sleeve of his robe. His smile faltered when he noticed genuine concern in her eyes.

"George, actually, just this morning I was reading the dredges from my tea..." She trailed off. He leaned in closer, now his interest was piqued. "I saw something. About you."

"Me?" He asked, forgetting about how ridiculous he thought all that baloney was. Elisabeth leaned in even closer, their noses were almost touching.

"It said you were going to experience some real pain today."

"What do you-" Just then, Elisabeth thumped George right between the eyes with the base of her palm.

"Ow!" He exclaimed. She grinned satisfactorily.

"Don't mock me, you prat," Elisabeth started walking again. He smiled despite himself as he rubbed the red spot on his forehead.

"I was wrong Elisabeth, you clearly have the gift." George completely forgot about the Slytherin boy until they had made it all the way to the ladder that led up to her classroom, but when he frantically looked around he was nowhere to be found.

\---

Ruth sat in an empty classroom on the third floor waiting for her detention to begin. One of the prefects was supposed to be overseeing her, ensuring that she was not using any magic as she copied down lines. Her long scroll of parchment was laid out before her and she was just setting up a pot of ink (a pretty new indigo color she had picked up in Diagon Alley and hadn't been able to use for assignments yet) when the door flew open and Adelaide walked in, her prefect's badge pinned to her robes.

"Tadaaa!" The blonde singsonged, striking a very dramatic pose. "I switched shifts with the Ravenclaw bloke so I'm supervising this little shindig."

"No way!" Ruth exclaimed gleefully. "How did you manage that?"

"Oh, I batted my eyelashes a few times, lightly implied I'd let him buy me a butterbeer at the Hogsmeade weekend and he seemed eager to make the switch," Adelaide grinned, leaning over the desk. "What exactly are you copying down this fine evening?"

Ruth pulled the detention slip McGonagall had given her from the front pocket of her robes and laid it out for her friend. "Jinxes are not a mark of bravery."

"That's rich," The blonde snorted, "As if Jenkins wasn't about to hex that little first year before you intervened!"

"Doesn't matter, hardly my first detention." The pair laughed, it was hard to stay out of trouble when you were friends with Fred and George. "Besides," Ruth picked up her wand and bewitched her quill to dutifully start copying down the lines for her, "Not like I'll be doing anything anyway."

Adelaide pursed her lips and stared down at the moving quill. "I really should make you write at least a few of those yourself."

"Yeah, you won't though,"

"True," Adelaide shrugged. "It would be different if I thought you deserved the detention. It's kind of scary he was being so mean to that muggleborn."

"I'm not altogether surprised, especially after everything that happened last year with Ginny and the Chamber of Secrets." Ruth replied, sadly. She felt uneasy about it but she was fearful that many pureblood students followed Jenkins' line of thinking. At the very least, she was afraid that even if they weren't strictly for blood purity, they would be too complacent to stand up for those like Ruth and Adelaide.

"It's just not fair," Adelaide groaned. "I hate that we have to be afraid, and for what? I can't help that my parents are muggles!" She threw her hands in the air and began pacing. Ruth felt all the more anxious watching her friend; she grabbed the quill mid-line and started writing in an attempt to distract herself.

"It's really not fair, but what can we do?" The girls fell silent after that, Adelaide continuing to pace and Ruth scratched at the parchment.

"Can you stop that?"

"What?"

"The humming!" Adelaide huffed. Ruth stuck her tongue out, she hadn't even realized she'd started to hum.

"Sorry, habit, let's find something to talk about then that doesn't make me feel like I'm going to throw up."

"Alright, how has Cedric been? You haven't been giving me any details lately," Adelaide sat down on the desk and nearly knocked over Ruth's ink pot. "Oops."

"I said something that doesn't make me feel sick, Laidey," Ruth rolled her eyes and moved the ink to the other side of the table. "I don't know exactly, there hasn't been anything to share."

"What do you mean?" Adelaide asked, looking down at her friend inquisitively. "You've spent two nights every week with him this whole month."

"Yeah, but," Ruth sighed, "I'm not sure, it's all been so cordial. Maybe he just wants to be friends after all."

Adelaide thought back to the conversation with Cedric she'd had in the corridor several weeks earlier. "That's simply not true. Maybe he thinks you just want to be friends, you're not very good at flirting."

"I am so!" The dark-haired witch protested. They both knew that wasn't true. "Ugh, I'm just not used to all this, no one has ever fancied me before." Adelaide had to physically bite her lip from yelling.

"You're oblivious, is the problem," The blonde replied, sort of irritated. She thought about Fred in the corridor, looking so dejected. Adelaide considered once again telling Ruth about everything. Ruth was her best friend; she had been since the moment they met.

September 1st, 1989

Adelaide Danielson was eleven years old and scared out of her mind. She sat alone in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, tears in her eyes as she nervously clutched the new wand in her lap. Her parents had said goodbye before she'd gone through the wall to the platform and she was seething with jealousy at all of the students whose parents were waiting to wave as the train drove away. But her parents were muggles and already had been dealing with quite the shock in processing the fact that their only daughter was a witch, and she'd seen how uncomfortable and out of place they were at Diagon Alley trying to find her school supplies.

Adelaide had always had odd powers, or at least strange things happened around her, but she'd never imagined something like this. It all still felt a bit like a weird dream, possibly a nightmare depending on how she looked at it. She pulled a picture out of her bag again and smiled sadly down at her and her school friends grinning at the camera. They had all had one last sleepover before Adelaide was due to leave for "boarding school."

The door to the compartment slid open and a short girl with long, dark hair stood nervously wringing her hands.

"Hi," Adelaide said.

"Hullo," The girl said back. She looked around at the empty seats. "Could I sit with you?"

"Sure," Adelaide smiled, grateful for a friendly face. "I'm Adelaide Danielson."

"Ruth Parker," She stuck out her hand and eagerly shook Adelaide's. She looked just as frightened as Adelaide felt. "Are you... oh what did that man call it... a muggle, too?"

"My parents aren't magic, if that's what you mean."

"Right, me too." Ruth nodded. "Can I ask you something else?"

"Yeah, I can't promise I'll have an answer though, I barely know what's going on," Adelaide said apologetically. Ruth giggled.

"It's not about school. Well, kind of. But not really." Ruth rambled. "Are you scared? I'm really scared."

Adelaide let out a huge breath and laughed. "Oh yeah, terrified."

"Whew," Ruth sighed, "Can we stick together for the day then? I don't really wanna do any more of this alone."

"Oh yes, the second you opened that door I decided I'd be glued to your side." Sometimes things just fall right into place, and as it would turn out, the pair would hardly leave each other's sides for the next several years of their lives. Neither girl knew it but that day they were forming a forever friendship. Someday Ruth would be Adelaide's maid of honor, the godmother to her child, and Adelaide would comfort Ruth through a terrible loss. They would love together, live through a war together, mourn together. But for now, the girls were sat on a train, eleven years old, thinking no further ahead than the sorting ceremony. They bought some sweets from the trolley.

Adelaide smiled at Ruth and punched her on the shoulder. "I think you're fine, just... maybe be a bit clearer with Cedric that you're interested in him. He's probably following your lead." Ruth nodded and sighed, sounding a bit relieved. She liked Cedric more than Adelaide had realized. She would keep her mouth shut about Fred. For now, she thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Fred Weasley had always been the less compassionate of the twins. He was good-natured and he had a good heart at his core, but no one would ever describe him as kind. Funny and clever, but not kind. He was ruminating over this thought on an afternoon in early October as he watched Cedric Diggory help a first-year avoid a trick step in the staircase. Now there was a boy that was kind, Fred thought. He would have let that child fall right into the step, and he likely would have laughed. But Cedric went out of his way to be nice.

"What do you think Ruth sees in him?" asked Fred bitterly. He heard George sigh beside him.

"I don't know how many times you can ask that before you realize I don't have a real answer," George responded. They watched the tall Hufflepuff continue up the stairs, politely continuing his conversation with the extremely grateful eleven-year-old that he had saved from humiliation. "Some birds like the strong, silent type." Cedric was quiet; he rarely spoke out of turn. His voice was soft but still strong. He could command people's attention without theatrics and Fred loathed him for that.

Fred was loud. His voice carried, he wanted to be heard. He loved to make people laugh. People always laughed, not at him, but with him. The twins were funny, they knew this and capitalized on that fact. Fred was the funnier of the two, which, in part, contributed to his being less kind. Sometimes he took jokes too far.

Cedric and Fred could not have been more different, anyway that you sliced it.

"Odd that she'd be friends with us if that's what she preferred," Fred remarked.

"There is a difference between what girls look for in friends and what they look for in... a lover."

"Of all the words you could have used, lover is what you're going to go with?"

"Yep, it's poetic."

"Since when are you a poet?" Fred questioned. George shrugged.

"I'm broadening my horizons," He replied meekly. Looking for a chance to steer the conversation away from Cedric, he said, "I've got a toffee in my pocket, shall we see if any third-years have got a sweet tooth?"

"We might have to skive off Care of Magical Creatures if the engorgement charm goes wrong..." Fred trailed off, grinning.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take."

"We'll consider it a business investment," He spotted a few unsuspecting Ravenclaws, "Oi, you there, yeah you!"

\---

"Is it just me, or did Piper Concord get really fit over the summer?" George mused, emitting a low whistle. They were sitting at the Gryffindor table for dinner, and a petite Hufflepuff girl had just walked into the Hall.

"George, stop being gross," Adelaide glared, but she had spun around to look at the small girl as well. She pursed her lips, "You're not wrong though, wow."

"See? You get it," George was nodding appreciatively and Lee stood up slightly to get a better look.

"Yeah, she aged nicely," Lee added.

"Definitely," Fred agreed. The three boys and Adelaide were all still turned towards the Hufflepuff table when Ruth sat down.

"Who aged nicely?" She asked, piling some mashed potatoes onto her plate. "Sorry I'm late, my book finally came in so I ran to the library after class to get it."

"How exciting! Are you going to paint Cedric sometime soon, then?" Adelaide questioned, peering at the thick book Ruth had sat down on the table between their dishes.

"Next week, probably," said Ruth, "Who's aged nicely?"

"Piper Concord," Fred answered. Ruth glanced back at the girl in question and scrunched up her nose.

"She's always been pretty."

"Not like that though," George piped in, he was biting at a piece of meat a bit like an animal. "Now she's... hot."

"Do you think she's still seeing that Slytherin bloke?" Fred asked.

"I thought you hated Hufflepuffs!" Ruth said indignantly, a bit louder than she meant to.

"Not when they look like that," Fred grinned mischievously and Ruth scowled.

"Hypocrite."

\---

On October 7th, Oliver Wood called the first Quidditch meeting to discuss tactics for the swiftly approaching season. He was a burly seventh year, and captain of the Gryffindor team, more dedicated to the sport than literally anyone else the twins knew. Obsessive might not even have been the word for it. Oliver was pacing back and forth in front of his team now, looking as intense as ever.

"This is our last chance – my last chance – to win the Quidditch cup," Oliver mused, "I'll be leaving at the end of this year. I'll never get another shot at it. Gryffindor hasn't won for seven years now. Okay, so we've had the worst luck in the world – injuries – then the tournament getting called off last year..." He stopped talking, almost as if he was swallowing a lump in his throat. "But we also know we've got the best – ruddy – team – in – the – school," Oliver punched a fist into his other hand. "We've got three superb Chasers."

Oliver gestured to the three ladies in question - Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet.

"We've got two unbeatable Beaters."

"Stop it, Oliver, you're embarrassing us," Fred and George pretended to blush.

"And we've got a Seeker who has never failed to win us a match!" Wood rumbled, he was looking at Harry Potter with a furious sort of pride. Then, as an afterthought, "And me."

"We think you're very good too, Oliver," said George.

"'Spanking good Keeper," Fred added.

"The point is," Oliver went on, pacing once again, "The Quidditch Cup should have had our name on it these last two years. Ever since Harry joined the team, I've thought the thing was in the bag. But we haven't got it, and this year's the last chance we'll get to finally see our name on the thing..."

"Oliver, this year's our year," Fred said, standing to clap his captain on the shoulder.

"We'll do it, Oliver!" said Angelina. She hadn't spoken yet the entire meeting, but now she sounded determined.

"Definitely," said Harry. Oliver grinned in a manic sort of way. God, he thought, I'm going to miss this.

\---

Sullivan Parker was taller than Fred remembered. Ruth's younger brother had the same dark hair and blue eyes as his sister, but he now had a good five inches of height on her.

"You got tall," Fred remarked when Sully approached him, one morning after breakfast. Sully rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, so I've heard," He quipped. He was now eye level with Fred, despite being two years younger. "You sound like every single one of my relatives."

"Am I at least like the fun aunt?"

"Hmm, I was thinking strange uncle that makes everyone slightly uncomfortable."

"Oh, screw off, that's-"

"Percy." They said together.

"He's been rather insufferable as Head Boy, hasn't he?" Sully asked.

"I've been steering clear of him mostly," Fred shrugged. "But yes. Mum and dad are ever so proud."

"Here's to being the family disappointments,"

"Cheers," Fred laughed, raising an invisible glass to Sully. "What can I do for you, Sullivan? Can't imagine you fancied a chat for no reason."

"We're mates, aren't we? I do have a favor to ask, though." He smiled. "I want to try out for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team next year."

"Alright, they're losing their Beaters next season, I think that's your best bet. Definitely won't beat out Chang for Seeker."

"I know," Sully said, "That's why I've come to you. I was wondering if you and George would give me a few lessons here and there, help me prepare."

"Oi, yeah, we could do that." Fred looked the boy up and down. "I haven't seen you play since last summer but I think we could manage to whip you into shape."

"Thanks, Fred," Sully looked relieved. A cute girl stood a few feet away, shifting uncomfortably. Sully noticed Fred looking at her and said, "Oh, that's my girlfriend, Greta. Don't tell Ruth."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Fred smirked, and gave Greta a small wave.

\---

"Sully has a girlfriend," He said, three hours later, flopping down next to Ruth on the couch in the common room. She slammed her thick book shut, aghast.

"He's got a what now?" Ruth looked shocked.

"A girlfriend," Fred repeated, "A girl... that he's dating."

"The concept isn't lost on me," She grumbled. "Who is she? My god, I didn't even know Sully was interested in girls yet."

"He's not twelve anymore, you know." Fred patted her on the head. She was tapping her foot; she was nervous about something and Fred couldn't believe her brother having a girlfriend was that disturbing to her. "Her name is Greta."

"Oh yes, because thirteen is so much older than twelve," Ruth seemed deep in thought. "Well, I hope that she's nice. What house is she in?"

"Sorry, I didn't look at her that closely."

"Right." She opened her book again and flipped through absent-mindedly. It was the painting book McGonagall had her order.

"A bit of light reading, I see," Fred commented, leaning closer to inspect the pages. There were a few moving images, but it was mostly very small print. Ruth half-smiled.

"McGonagall kind of freaked me out when she said that it's a hard field to get into. I feel like I'm already behind." She looked at him sideways, chewing her lip.

"You're only fifteen, Ruth."

"I know," She pressed, "What if I'm rubbish at it, though? Then I'm sort of shit out of luck, aren't I? I have to do well in all my O.W.L.s so I have backup options..."

"You're not going to need backups," Fred said firmly. He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder and tried to ignore the flipping in his stomach as she leaned into him.

"Thanks, Fred." She whispered. She didn't sound like she'd been consoled but Fred didn't know what else to say. "Well, I guess we'll find out tonight, I'm going to start a portrait of Cedric."

"Oh," Fred said at length. "That's... nice. I'm sure it will go well."

"I hope so," Ruth sighed. "Flitwick showed me an old classroom that doesn't get used anymore when I asked him for help with learning this painting Charm. He said I could use that to do the portraits and store all of my supplies separate from the Art room."

"You're lucky Flitwick likes you so much."

"I'm a good student, that's all!"

"That's an odd way of saying teacher's pet."

\---

Later that evening, Fred and George sat at a table in the common room, half-heartedly working on their Defense homework. It was not too long after seven when Adelaide showed up, arms full of books. George cleared a spot on the table for her to place them and she subsequently collapsed into a chair.

"Can you believe we're barely a month into school?" She groaned, slumping forward and laying her head down. George rubbed her back with one hand, not lifting his eyes from his textbook.

"It's all downhill from here, Addy," He sighed, mimicking her dramatic tone.

"Not helping, Georgie," She said, her voice muffled against the tabletop. "Where's Ruth?"

"Painting Cedric," Fred quietly answered. He reread the same paragraph for the third time, the words still not quite registering. Grateful that the new Defense professor, Lupin, placed so much emphasis on practical magic, Fred was finding it harder than ever to care about doing the readings. Adelaide lifted her head and swore.

"Forgot that was tonight," She said, looking for a moment as if she was going to cry. Instead she took a deep breath and flipped one of the books open. "Surely I'll still be working on this when she gets back."

"Guess you should've started working earlier."

"George, you are the one who was distracting me all afternoon with your stupid candies!"

"I'm glad to see the swelling went down," He smirked and Adelaide shook her head, clearly annoyed.

"Remind me to never accept sweets from you again. Did she say how long she'd be gone for?" She questioned, turning her attention back to Fred. He shook his head to indicate that he had not. They sat together, silently working for no more than twenty minutes when Adelaide and George started bickering again. Fred stood, working up an excuse to head up to the dormitory, but neither of them even seemed to notice his departure.

He rummaged around in his trunk, trying to find where he had hidden the Marauder's Map. The polaroid of Ruth that he had shoved into the bottom a few weeks ago dislodged as a result of the rustling and Fred felt a pang in his chest. He studied the image for a moment; she looked very happy. Angrily, he shoved it back to the bottom, beneath some old books and jumpers he never wore, locating the map in the process. Because he was a glutton for punishment, he whispered "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," and watched as ink began to spread across the old, worn parchment.

He searched for the two dots that would surely be labeled Ruth Parker and Cedric Diggory, just to wallow at the sight of their names together, but was surprised to find Ruth's marker alone. He quickly scanned the page for Cedric, and located him in the Head Boy's office, also alone. Peculiar, Fred thought. He watched for a while longer, as Ruth paced in the classroom. "Mischief managed."

Fred placed the now blank map back into his trunk, then, after closing it and standing to leave, he knelt back down. He reached to the very bottom, located the polaroid, and examined it to make sure he had not damaged it earlier. Satisfied that it was fine, Fred, now gently, returned it.

It didn't take the redhead more than five minutes to reach the classroom where Ruth had been waiting. He stood in the open door for a moment, as she flurried around organizing her paints and brushes. She wiped under her eyes with her sleeve and Fred felt a fresh wave of resentment towards Cedric.

He knocked against the doorframe, "So, this is your glorified broom closet." She whipped around, surprised to see Fred. He was afraid she might be disappointed that it was him, and not a certain Hufflepuff, but Ruth smiled.

"It's a place to work, isn't it?" She wiped a bit more hurriedly at her cheeks, though she knew Fred had already clearly seen that they were stained with tears.

He moved into the room and sat down in the chair that presumably had been for Cedric, facing her little desk setup. "Fair enough. Where is Pretty Boy?" She flopped into her own seat and twisted her face up into a sort of grimace; Fred recognized it as her attempt not to cry. Ruth picked up a palette knife and started to scrape at some paints she must have mixed up.

"He didn't show," She said quietly. Fred frowned. "If you don't mind waiting a few minutes I'll get this all cleaned up and walk back with you." She began covering the paints.

"Paint me instead," He blurted. Ruth looked up at him and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear; she must have had wet paint on her finger because there was a peachy streak across her cheek now.

"You?" Ruth asked, her eyebrows raised. Fred tried not to take offense at her surprise to his suggestion.

"What? I'm dashing," He scoffed. Adjusting his position on the chair, he struck a very portrait-esque pose.

"No," She giggled. "That's not what I meant, just... you'd sit for me? It'll be boring." Fred took in her wide, hopeful eyes, still red-rimmed from crying. He thought about saying something sweet and earnest. Of course I would. I'd do anything for you.

"I've got nothing else to do." (which was a lie).

"Alright, let me get a canvas set up," Ruth grinned ear to ear. The room was filled with soft yellow light from the fireplace, with a small sliver of blue cast from the singular window. She painted for over an hour, carefully studying Fred and making small marks on the canvas. Fred felt strangely vulnerable, being observed in this way. He wished he could know what she was thinking. She still seemed kind of sad, but she laughed at all of his off-handed remarks. Fred considered taking this opportunity to bash Cedric, take advantage of her hurt feelings to turn her against him. Maybe this was his chance. He thought about Cedric helping that first-year with the trick step last week.

"I'm sure something came up," Fred said softly.

"What?" Ruth questioned, not looking up from the painting. Fred leaned forward in an attempt to get her attention but instead she added, "Don't move, Fred."

"With Cedric, I meant. I don't think he'd stand you up, on purpose."

"Yes, well..." She trailed off. "You're actually a great portrait subject."

"Really?"

"Yeah, if I'm being honest, I'm kind of glad Cedric didn't come." She was talking very quietly and not meeting Fred's eye. His stomach twisted nervously.

"Really?" Again, softer this time.

"I'd have been so nervous, with Cedric," She said, "It's more comfortable painting a friend, feels natural." The tiny glimmer of hope he felt slipped away.

"Right," Fred replied. She didn't say anything but looked up at him. They stared at each other and Ruth made a weird expression, as if she was trying not to smile. "You better have gotten my nose right."

"It's pretty hard to miss," She teased. Fred laughed and she made a few more small marks then, "Do you want to see?" He got up and moved behind her. It was a pretty small painting, with quick splotches of color, not smoothly blended. Fred was fascinated, the colors were bright, it was bizarre seeing himself through her eyes.

"Er, it looks good." He said finally. She was still sitting as she turned up to look at him, the top of her head resting against his abdomen. Ruth frowned.

"I had to go kind of fast." She sounded disappointed. "Could I paint you again? Maybe over a few sessions so I can spend more time on it."

"Yes." He replied, grabbing her cheeks and pinching them so it looked like a grotesque smile.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, of course." He released her cheeks, now pink from the pinching, and she stood to clean up. "Wait, aren't you going to charm it?"

"No, I don't think so. Not yet. Maybe the next one." She carried the painting to a corner of the room, and placed it by a stack of blank canvases. After she finished covering the paints and cleaning the brushes Ruth extinguished the fire.

"We might as well at least see if it works, I think that it looks really good, Ruth. Honest." Fred pressed. She shook her head.

"It's not you though. I can't feel you in it. Something's... missing. I can do better." Determined, she grabbed his arm and they left the room, closing and locking the door behind them.

"It looked like me," Fred said. She chuckled.

"You need to capture more than a likeness for a magical portrait to function correctly. It'll move like you, sound like you even. But your personality wouldn't come through in that one."

"You won't know that for sure unless you try." They made it to the end of the corridor, at the staircase that would lead them upstairs to Gryffindor Tower. She started to head up but Fred stayed put.

"Fine, you got me." Ruth sighed, exasperated. "I'm scared alright? What if it doesn't work?"

"It's your first try, I think that's okay. That's the point isn't it?" Even two steps higher than Fred she was barely at eye level with him. "Practice and all that?"

"You're right. Next time we'll charm it." She smiled. "Now let's go, it's past curfew by a long shot."

"Going soft on me?" Fred tsked. "Didn't know you were such a coward, Parker."

"Am not," She said defiantly, stepping down one stair. This made her shorter, but closed some of the distance between them.

"Prove it," He whispered, leaning down so their faces were only a few inches apart. She slipped past him and continued down the steps past the floor they'd been on.

"Okay, Weasley," She started, "Kitchens, let's go." Fred grinned.

"There's my Ruth."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dialogue for the quidditch scene taken straight from PoA ! obvi all those belong to JK


	7. Chapter 7

"Ruth!" She knew immediately that it was Cedric calling out behind her in the corridor, as he'd gotten up from the Hufflepuff table right behind her and Adelaide as they left breakfast for Potions.

"Act like we didn't hear him," Ruth whispered quietly to her companion, and Adelaide, being a loyal friend who had listened to Ruth cry last night after she returned with Fred, continued walking. She even laughed loudly as if their conversation was quite engaging. This did not deter Cedric, though he could tell they were clearly intentionally ignoring him.

"Ruth," He had caught up with the witches and placed a hand gently on Ruth's arm. She turned, pretending to be surprised.

"Oh, hi Cedric," Ruth grinned, far too sweetly. "Did you have a nice night?" He winced slightly and ran a hand through his loose curls.

"I'm so sorry," He seemed earnest but Ruth narrowed her eyes. She had actually ended up having a nice evening with Fred after all, but her feelings weren't any less hurt. Ruth thought about yelling; she was certainly angry enough to yell. Where the hell were you, she wanted to say. She would never admit it, but there was something so exhilarating about raising your voice and feeling your heart pound so loud you could feel it in your ears.

"No worries," Ruth said instead. Adelaide shot her a look, but Ruth grabbed her arm as she turned to leave. She added, over her shoulder, "See you around, Cedric."

"Ruth," He pleaded. Cedric grabbed her hand and she did not pull it away. "I cannot apologize enough. It's no real excuse but I had to break up a duel, and as a prefect, I had to file an official report. It took so long and just... distracted me."

"As I said, Cedric, no worries." Ruth gave him a tight-lipped smile and squeezed his hand before letting it go.

"Are you... being serious?" He asked. Ruth looked up at him. Wide-eyed with a small, hopeful smile and pink-tinged cheeks. She'd meant to stay upset, she really did. But he did seem sorry... "I promise that I'll make it up to you somehow."

"Yeah, it's fine," Ruth sighed, she shook her head, slightly in shock at herself for forgiving him so easily. "It's alright, honestly."

"Are we still on for Friday?" He sounded relieved.

"It's a date. Er, well, a study date. Library at seven?" Ruth stumbled over the word date, even though her correction probably made things weirder than if she'd just left it. Cedric didn't seem to notice because he agreed to the time and place before leaving the girls to head to Potions.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Adelaide rushed once Cedric was out of earshot.

"I genuinely don't know. I couldn't help it! That was a valid excuse, wasn't it?" Ruth shrugged. He'd never been late for any of their study sessions before, and they'd had plenty. "No one's perfect, right?" Adelaide wasn't so sure but she only frowned and kept it to herself.

\---

The library was nearly empty, as not many students opted to work on their homework on a Friday night. Ruth and Cedric were sitting at a table near the Herbology stacks, a huge pile of books, scrolls, and quills scattered around them. Cedric angrily scratched away at a piece of parchment, attempting to begin his extremely long essay on Mandrakes. After the scare with the Chamber of Secrets and the petrified students last year, Professor Sprout had decided to make Mandrakes a regular part of the curriculum. Ruth had already started her essay, and was more than halfway done.

"I don't understand how you've already got so much of this blasted thing finished." Cedric grumbled, peering over at the lengthy scroll Ruth was working on. He looked back at his own, and reread the three measly sentences he'd come up with. Things had changed since their first time studying together; Ruth was much more comfortable and stared at him considerably less.

"I started it in class, y'know, during the allotted work time." She teased, poking his hand with the end of her Eagle feather quill. It left a black ink dot on his tan skin. "And anyway, you'll finish it in no time, you've always been brilliant in Herbology."

Cedric rubbed at the dot on his hand, and looked at the dark haired witch. She had returned her gaze to one of the large books sitting in front of her. "You're rather brilliant at it yourself." He thought he could see a faint blush appear on her cheeks.

"Yes, well..." Ruth trailed off and let out a small cough. She was rubbish at taking a compliment. Cedric leaned forward, pushing a few books back with his arm.

"Can I tell you something?" He asked. She looked at him now, curiously scanning his face. "You have to promise not to be offended though." She hesitated for a second, and then nodded. "I've always thought you should've been in Hufflepuff."

To Cedric's surprise, Ruth laughed. "And why do you say that?"

Cedric wasn't sure what was so funny, but he continued, "Well you're so good at Herbology, you're ridiculously kind and empathetic, and for some God forsaken reason, you are fiercely loyal to those Weasley twins." Cedric wasn't necessarily bitter about her close friendship with the two redheaded boys, but he didn't exactly love it either. He had never really had any real problem with the two, but he wasn't as enchanted by them as everyone else seemed to be. (Not to mention that the pair made no effort to hide their disdain for Cedric).

Ruth nodded appreciatively, and to Cedric's further surprise, she simply said, "I agree." She turned back to her essay once again, and he watched her write for a while.

"So, you also reckon you should've been in Hufflepuff?" Cedric asked finally. Ruth looked up, and considered his question thoughtfully.

"Yes, I do." She agreed. "However, the older I get I do understand why they put me in Gryffindor." Cedric waited for some kind of explanation of that matter. When she did not immediately give one, he prodded.

"And?"

"I'm a bit too stubborn, I think. My patience is very minimal, and sometimes I am not very tolerant of people that aren't tolerant. The irony isn't lost on me there, either." Ruth kept her eyes on her essay the whole time she spoke, and her mind seemed to be elsewhere when she mentioned tolerance. Cedric tried to joke since he had somehow managed to make the conversation weird for her.

"You must be more patient than you think," He started, "Spending so much time with Fred and George without killing either of them." At this, she forced a smile but did not laugh, and Cedric dropped the conversation entirely.

\---

Fred climbed through the portrait hole behind Harry Potter after a particularly grueling (but satisfying) Quidditch practice that evening. The common room was buzzing with excitement.

"What's happened?" Harry asked Ron Weasley, Fred and George's younger brother, and Hermione Granger.

"First Hogsmeade weekend," Ron replied, gesturing to a piece of paper that had showed up on the old bulletin board. "End of October. Halloween."

"Excellent," Fred said, "I need to visit Zonko's. I'm nearly out of Stink Pellets." He watched Harry slump down dramatically with his friends and felt the mood shift, taking that as his cue to slip out of there. He spotted his own friends across the room and made his way in their direction.

"Gross, you're all sweaty," Ruth laughed as Fred crushed her in a tight squeeze from behind, shaking her side to side.

"Hogsmeade is on Halloween this year!" He said enthusiastically, releasing his grip so she could turn to face him.

"I know! I'm so excited," Ruth squealed. "It's the best day of the year!"

"Besides April Fool's day," Fred quipped.

"Your birthday," Adelaide rolled her eyes, "Does not trump Halloween, sorry to say Fred."

"Oi," He said indignantly, "That's not the reason April Fool's day is superior; it's a day dedicated to mayhem and mischief."

"Very appropriate day for your birth," Ruth said.

"Divine intervention," Fred agreed. He threw an arm around each of his girls. "Well, Hogsmeade and the Halloween Feast in the same day? It'll be a tough act to follow come April."

George had drawn the short stick after practice and stayed to help Oliver clean up, but joined them now, catching the last bit of the conversation.

"We'll have to have a party like no other," He grinned. "What do we think, firewhiskey this year?"

"God no, there were first and second years a bit too far gone just off the butterbeer last year!" Adelaide sounded stern but she laughed.

"First and second years?" George jested, poking her in the cheek. "I think I remember you not holding your liquor so well yourself, young lady."

"Butterbeer is barely even alcoholic," Ruth cackled. George wasn't lying, Adelaide had been full of giggles and stumbled up to bed with the hiccups at the last party.

"Whatever," The blonde huffed, her nostrils flaring. She tucked hair behind both ears, twice, demonstrating her embarrassment to an extreme.

"It's okay, Addy," George flicked Fred's arm off of Adelaide's shoulder and replaced it with his own. "It's cute."

\---

Timothy joined Professor Flitwick's Frog Choir in his third year. Being so shy, he was terrified when he walked into tryouts. He liked singing, though he wasn't particularly skilled in it, but he hadn't realized he'd have to sing by himself in front of everyone. Despite his shakiness due to nerves, Flitwick let him join. (There weren't many applicants).

"Certainly not a soloist, but you'll fit right in with the tenors," Flitwick had said, gesturing to a group for Timothy. He soon grew to love the Frog Choir, and it's where he made many of his friends. For being so quiet, Timothy was relatively popular, at least within the music circles.

He was leaving the Great Hall Saturday evening after rehearsal, smiling and singing the new tune quietly to himself, when he noticed Lee Jordan sitting on the steps. Timothy approached him, his steps echoing throughout the large, mostly empty area. Lee looked up sheepishly.

"Hi there," Timothy greeted quietly. He stuck his hands into his pockets and kicked Lee lightly in the shin.

"Hi," Lee smiled.

"Thought you couldn't be seen with me outside of class?"

"No one else is around," He replied. Timothy did a quick glance over his shoulder; Lee was right. The last few members of the Frog Choir had already departed, paying no attention to the two boys. "Will you come with me?"

"That depends," Timothy almost laughed, a strangled sort of huff escaping him instead.

"On?"

"Where are we going?"

"Nowhere special, don't get your hopes up, Fernsby," Lee pushed himself to his feet.

"I never do," He replied, which made Lee kind of sad, but he pushed his guilt down and led his small, blonde boy into a classroom. Lee stood to the side, and proudly gestured beyond the open door where he'd laid out some food on the table and a singular candle.

"I know there are tons of candles in this school, floating and all that, so it's not that romantic, but..." Lee put his hands on his waist and nervously watched Timothy's reaction. He was impossible to read. "The house elves in the kitchen were reluctant to give me anything good, but I got what I could."

Timothy turned to Lee now, and his forehead crinkled. "Why'd you do this?"

Dumbfounded, "Wh-what? Because I like you." One of Timothy's eyes was blue, and the other was a very light brown. They were almost spooky, it made it hard for Lee to focus. "Isn't this the sort of thing people do for dates?"

"So, we're dating then?" Timothy smiled now. Lee rolled his eyes.

"When did you get so forward, Timmy?" Lee grinned back, and with one last glance behind him took Timothy's hand and they sat down at the table. He flicked his wand and the door flew shut.

"This is... quite the array." Timothy eyed the strange assortment of food that the house elves had been willing to part with.

"Yeah, I haven't charmed them nearly as much as Fred and George," Lee muttered. "I thought we should have a... sort of proper date. Since we can't go to Hogsmeade together."

"Oh," The blonde pushed his glasses back up his nose, and nodded. "Right."

"I'm really sorry," Lee rushed, "I like you so much, honest. I'm just... not ready. I'm afraid." Timothy leaned across the table and gently cupped Lee's cheek in his hand.

"Hey, it's alright. This is enough." Lee smiled and Timothy's heart skipped a beat. Sometimes he thought he might melt when Lee looked at him like that, and in that moment, it really was enough. He didn't need the public displays of affection, or the friend introductions. Not yet, anyway. Lee Jordan, leaning into his hand on a Saturday evening, having a candlelit picnic, was enough.

"I've got something else, actually," Lee said suddenly. He rummaged in the pocket of his robes for a second before pulling out a small paper crane. It wasn't very good, but you could tell what it was, and Lee was beaming. "I made that. For you."

Timothy picked it up gingerly and held it in his palm. Yeah, this was enough.

\---

Elisabeth practically flew into the dormitory Saturday night, slamming the door behind her. "Ladies, I am going to put my pyjamas on and take my makeup off, then we've got loads to dish on." Once Elisabeth was in the bathroom after digging her nightgown out of her trunk, Alicia uncertainly turned to the other three girls.

"What do you think the gossip is?" She asked, quietly, so that Elisabeth wouldn't hear her through the door. Ruth's small grey kitten leapt off the floor and landed on the bed next to Alicia, who started petting him immediately. "Hi, Bill."

"Oh, he likes you!" Ruth smiled, marking her page in a book about Herbology that Cedric had leant her. "I bet it's about Hogsmeade. Loads of fresh date drama."

"He should like me, we spend an awful lot of time together when you're off with Fred and Cedric," Alicia leaned down closer to the kitten's face and made some kissy noises. She didn't seem bothered in the least by their companionship. "Why's his name Bill, anyway? Not after the Weasley boy, surely."

"Bill S. Preston, Esquire," Ruth answered. "A character in my favorite muggle film."

"Are you serious?" Alicia laughed. "I love Bill and Ted. Oh, now I like you even more!" She scooped Bill up, and he nuzzled right into her cheek. Adelaide moved from her own bed next to Alicia and also started talking like a baby to the kitten.

"I'm sure you're right, Ruth. It's got to be Hogsmeade gossip. I do hope no one was too embarrassingly rejected this time around..."

"Just you wait until the Ravenclaw prefect asks you, Laidey! After you flirted with him to switch detention shifts." Ruth teased. "He's going to be so hurt when you say no!"

"Who're you saying no to?" Elisabeth asked curiously, emerging from the bathroom. Her very light orange hair was twisted up into a mess of curlers. Her eyes glinted at the promise of drama and she stretched out on her bed, eagerly waiting for Adelaide's response.

"No one," She said firmly. Elisabeth looked disappointed.

"Well, in that case, I do have updates on other fronts." She relayed her news in typical Elisabeth fashion. Way too many details, while simultaneously leaving out key information. Just as the girls had suspected, there had been plenty of relationship mishaps in light of the Hogsmeade trip. Plenty of unexpected dates, and even more displays of rejection. "Which brings me to another question."

Elisabeth turned now to face Ruth and Ruth alone. One of the curlers was coming loose and falling by her ear. Ruth narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Yes?"

"I heard that Piper Concord asked Cedric, and he said no." She smiled proudly, as if this particular bit of information was a bombshell. (It was). Ruth felt a rush of jealousy, even though he had turned her down.

"Was there a question in there?"

"Has he asked you to go?" She asked, sounding exasperated, as if that should have been obvious. Ruth looked down at the book he had leant her, just this morning. "You've been spending so much time together... so, I thought maybe there was a reason he turned down Piper..."

"I haven't seen him since the date was announced, so no." She lied. Honestly, Ruth had thought he was going to ask her, but instead, he excitedly showed her the book and said that he thought she'd liked it, and that was it. Adelaide shot her an odd look, she knew Ruth had seen him earlier that day, but she didn't say anything.

"I'm sure he's going to ask you!" Adelaide said. "Perhaps he's nervous."

"Cedric is seriously so dreamy, Ruth. You are beyond lucky." Elisabeth sighed. "I bet he's a great kisser."

"Yeah, is he?" Angelina giggled. Even she was not immune to the charms of Cedric.

"I don't know," Ruth blushed. "All we do is study."

"Oh," Angelina said, "I sort of thought that was an innuendo of some kind."

"Do you think Fred and George are good kissers?" Elisabeth asked then.

"I'm sure that they are," Angelina mused and Alicia agreed.

"Okay, of the two, who would you snog?"

"George," Adelaide responded quickly. Ruth shot her a shocked look but Adelaide just shrugged. "Why not? He's hot, I can admit to that."

"Of course, they're... hot," Ruth started, sounding a bit confused. "But you answered so fast! Why George?"

"He's better at Quidditch," Angelina interjected, "I'd pick him, too."

"Me too," Alicia agreed.

"He's not that much better at Quidditch," Ruth muttered, almost defensively. She was surprised that they all had an answer immediately. "What about you, Betty?"

"Both," She grinned wickedly. "Double the trouble."

"Oh my god," All the other girls said, but they were laughing. One of them threw a pillow at Elisabeth, which she caught easily.

"If I had to pick one, then George." She commented. Ruth leaned back and frowned. So many George fans, she thought.

"What is with this Fred slander?" Ruth wondered aloud. Angelina and Alicia turned to each other, as if they shared a great secret, smirking. "What?"

Elisabeth giggled, then started to pull her curtains shut. "Thanks for the conversation girls, but it's time for me to get my beauty sleep. I do expect updates on the Cedric situation, though."

The conversation swiftly turned to goodnights as Adelaide got up from Alicia's bed and turned out the lights. They all settled in. Ruth closed the curtain on her own bed after Bill returned to her and she buried her head into a pillow. Why didn't any of them want to kiss Fred, she wondered. It bothered her for a reason she couldn't quite understand. Confusing her only further, she found that the idea of any of them wanting to kiss Fred bothered her even more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again a few snippets of dialogue are taken from PoA :-)


	8. Chapter 8

The Saturday night immediately before the Halloween Hogsmeade trip came quickly, and with no sign of Cedric asking her to accompany him, Ruth resolved to be a bit bold and ask him as a date herself. She spent all of dinner staring vaguely into the distance, barely touching her food, rehearsing over and over what she was going to say. Just as she was about to stand, and make her way to the Hufflepuff table she watched a random sixth-year Ravenclaw approach Cedric, and in turn, get rejected. Ruth clenched her jaw and felt very suddenly as though she was going to be ill. Maybe she would not ask him after all. He was far too handsome for her, she thought dejectedly, and many girls, far prettier than her, had been turned down. Cedric's friends started to clear out for the evening, and Ruth let out one big breath and prepared to chase him down as he left the Hall, but to her surprise, he turned and met her gaze with a smile. Instead of leaving the room, he approached the Gryffindor table.

Fred and George sat on either side of Ruth and leaned in closer after noticing Cedric, resting their chin on their respective hand closest to her.

"Hello, Cedric," Fred greeted, oozing charm.

"To what do we owe this pleasure?" George asked. Cedric did not seem fazed by the twins.

"'Lo Fred, George," He replied, smiling cheerfully. Adelaide mimicked the twins pose, resting her head on her hand, but hers was out of genuine admiration. Cedric looked down at her and added, "Hello, Adelaide. I've actually come to speak with Ruth, if you don't mind, that is."

"They don't mind," Ruth interjected quickly, just as Fred had opened his mouth. He turned to Ruth with irritation, but she had already gotten up from the table. "See you lot later."

She followed Cedric into the entrance hall; he was fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeves as they walked. Ruth glanced back at her friends just before they exited and Adelaide was excitedly shaking two thumbs up.

"Ruth," He said, "Would you like to go to Hogsmeade? Well, obviously you want to go to Hogsmeade because you've said that you're going, what I meant was would you like to come with me?" He was talking rather quickly.

"Yes!" She replied, reaching forward to grab his fidgeting hands. He looked down at this, then back up, smiling quite broadly.

"Fantastic," He sighed in relief. "I've been a bit nervous to ask if you couldn't tell."

She laughed, "Why were you nervous?"

"You know I meant as a date, right? Like a date date?" Cedric asked hurriedly.

"Er, yes."

"Okay, just making sure. That's why I was nervous."

"Cedric Diggory, you were afraid to ask me on a date?"

"Oh, hush."

\--- 

Back in the Great Hall, Fred and George were arguing back and forth with Adelaide, who was beside herself with glee. She was ecstatic that Cedric was, presumably, finally asking Ruth on a proper date.

"It's just the whole idea," Fred started angrily. "She's ruining Hogsmeade tradition. We never take dates!"

"I had a date every single Hogsmeade weekend last year," Adelaide practically shouted.

"I'm not talking about you," Fred groaned.

"Did you really think you'd make it all the way through school without Ruth being asked on a date?"

"No, but I thought she'd have the decency to turn them down," He said quietly. "Especially with our sworn enemy. I can't believe she started hanging around with him in the first place."

"You cannot be serious! You're even thicker than I thought," Adelaide was shocked. She muttered under her breath, "Sworn enemy, really."

"This has gone on long enough," George huffed. He was brandishing his fork like a wand at the blonde. She narrowed her wide green eyes and smacked it aside with her own silverware.

"Don't you point your fork at me, George Weasley," She scolded. "You two ought to grow up. Cedric is a perfectly nice bloke!"

"I thought one of them would've gotten bored by now," Fred said. "It's been two months of study dates. How has that not gotten old?"

"I'll be the first to admit that he isn't the most exciting person, but his inherent lack of recklessness doesn't make him boring!"

"Yes, it does," The twins said in unison.

"You are such-"

"I'm going to stop you right there, Addy. I know where you're going with that, and I'm going to preemptively prevent you from calling us prats for the fifteenth time in ten minutes," George interjected.

"Well, you are," She crossed her arms across her chest.

"Whatever, if being a protective friend makes me a prat, then I guess that's what I am," George muttered.

"Oh, yes! What a kind and noble friend you are, trying to protect Ruth from the very lovely boy that she fancies!"

"They just seem like an odd fit," said Fred. Adelaide wouldn't admit to it, especially when she was so irritated with him, but she agreed with Fred. On paper, Cedric and Ruth seemed like a perfect match, but in reality... she shook her head.

"She likes him, and he's kind to her. What more could you possibly ask for?" Adelaide pointedly asked, directed mostly at Fred. "If you had a real reason for not wanting her to date Cedric, you should have said something sooner."

Fred glowered at her, and George awkwardly poked at his plate. Everyone was clearly aware of the main factor at play in this situation, but none of them dared to say it aloud. Adelaide glared defiantly back at Fred, neither of them willing to be the first to look away.

"I don't have a clue what you mean," Fred said, finally turning his gaze unhappily to his plate. Adelaide was not to be trifled with, and this wasn't an argument he wanted to occur in such a public place.

"We both know that's not true," Adelaide rolled her eyes and crumpled her napkin up, tossing it onto her empty plate. "Maybe someday you'll either grow up enough to admit that, or swallow your godforsaken pride, get over it, and let her be happy. You don't get to be a coward and hold that against Ruth."

"Addy," George said tentatively, almost like a warning. Adelaide stood.

"Shut up, George," and then she left.

"I really don't know what she's on about," Fred said to his twin, unconvincingly. George nodded.

"Right," He replied. "Me either."

\---

The next afternoon, George and Adelaide were heading towards Honeydukes in an attempt to escape Fred's pity party, leaving him to wallow with Lee at the Three Broomsticks. Adelaide shivered and wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck.

"Brrr, it's gotten chilly, hasn't it?" Adelaide said, rubbing her hands together. "Looks like rain, too." The pair had stopped bickering; George apologized before they headed down to the village that morning. He knew why she'd been so angry with them, and he agreed with her points, but he wasn't prepared to have that conversation with Fred just yet.

"I'd offer you my gloves, but then I'd get cold," George smirked as the blonde rolled her eyes.

"Ever the gentleman."

"I've never claimed to be one."

"No, you certainly have not," She agreed. George noticed something down the street, just as they were about to enter the sweets shop. Elisabeth was knelt down, looking at some carved pumpkins by another storefront. Not too far behind her was the tall Slytherin. "Jesus," George whispered.

"What's that?" Adelaide asked, faltering slightly. She'd been telling a story that George clearly had not been listening to. He didn't even look at her then, instead, he placed a hand on her arm and gently pushed her towards the entrance.

"Go on without me, I'll be right in," He said. "I need to do something quick."

"George-" Adelaide started to pout. She tugged at the sleeve of his coat as she opened the door and warmth spilled out. Inviting as it was, George shrugged her off.

"Go, I'll be right back, promise," She did as she was told but gave him a funny look. George hurried towards Elisabeth, who was still inspecting the jack-o-lanterns.

"Hi, George," She greeted, barely glancing up at the redhead as he approached. Gesturing towards a specific pumpkin with a dragon carved into it she said, "Aren't these so interesting? I wish I had any artistic talent."

"I'd say your fancy makeup counts as art, Elisabeth," George mused. Today she was wearing orange eyeshadow and black lipstick, with a small bat on her cheekbone. Very festive, George thought. It matched the orange tights with glittery bats that she was wearing. She smiled.

"Well, thank you." She responded, a bit flustered by the sudden compliment. Elisabeth stuck out a hand, and George reached out to help her to her feet. Her skin was ice cold.

"How did you know it was me?" George asked.

"You're the only twin that ever speaks to me, I figured it had to be you."

"So, still a guess."

Elisabeth giggled. "An educated one, though."

"Can I ask you something?" He questioned.

"You've already asked me something," She paused to blow some air onto her hands, "But I suppose I could handle another."

"Smartass," George half-laughed. "Why do you always wear such... crazy makeup?" She pursed her lips and tapped at her nose while she thought.

"It's fun." She said after a moment of consideration. George waited for further explanation but she only shrugged. He raised his eyebrows. "It makes me feel less plain."

"Plain?"

"You know, average. Hard to feel special when you literally live with Adelaide and Angelina," Elisabeth wasn't sure why she was talking about this with George, but she was pleased to find he didn't seem put off by her honestly. There wasn't a trace of pity on his face, either.

"That's silly, you're pretty," George said. The twins were flirts, just like Lee, this was no secret. But there wasn't a trace of flirting in his statement, he was merely stating a fact. Her cheeks were already pink from the cold, so George couldn't tell whether or not she blushed, but he was fairly confident that it hadn't changed the air of their conversation.

"I appreciate you saying that," She replied simply. "Mainly it's for fun though. I like doing it."

"I believe you. It's cool, I was just curious," George looked to where the Slytherin had been and found him still there, not even trying to hide his obvious staring. "What are you up to anyway?"

"Just checking out all the Halloween decorations while my friend delivers a letter. Would you like to walk with me?"

"You know, I actually really would, but Addy is waiting for me," George frowned. "I'll see you at the feast, yeah?"

"Alright, goodbye, George," She waved farewell, her usually pale hands an even brighter red than her wind-whipped cheeks. His frown deepened.

"Elisabeth," He started, pulling off the old gloves his mother had knit him. George held them out to the festive girl in the street. "You should prepare better for the weather."

"None of my gloves matched my outfit," She smirked, and took the gloves from George. "Are you ever going to start calling me Betty?"

"No, probably not."

"Thanks for the gloves, George." And then she walked away, pausing briefly to look at another Halloween display. Once she had rounded the corner of a building, George headed briskly towards the Slytherin. He was going to sort this thing out once and for all.

\---

"Oh, stop it," Ruth laughed. Cedric liked the sound of her laugh, it was loud and joyous. He liked that he could tell she was never faking it; you just can't fake a laugh like that. She sat across from him at a small table in the Three Broomsticks, tucked away in one of the corners. Ruth was sipping at a warm butterbeer, and had just wiped creamy whipped topping off her top lip.

"No, really, I think the mustache was a great look for you," Cedric grinned.

"You're quite the charmer, Diggory," She said. Ruth wasn't just teasing, either. Cedric was charming.

"Not everyone seems to think so," He gestured vaguely to where Fred was sitting across the room with Lee, shooting furious glances in their direction every so often. George and Adelaide had left some time ago and Fred's mood had only soured since.

"Don't mind Fred. He's..."

"Fond of you," Cedric finished. He was smiling sweetly, there was no hint of animosity.

"Sure," Ruth shrugged. "I was going to say something meaner, but let's go with that."

"I like to take the high road."

"I've noticed." They sat in silence for a while, though it wasn't awkward. When their glasses were empty, Cedric scooped them up then stood.

"Fancy another?" Ruth agreed, and she watched how effortlessly he interacted with others. Five or six people stopped him on his journey to the bar to say hello, and when he returned with two full glasses she smiled warmly. "What?"

"I was just thinking. Did you know the twins have a nickname for you?" She asked. He narrowed his eyes but grinned. Cedric sat down again but didn't return to his previous seat, instead taking the one next to Ruth.

"Do they now?"

"Pretty Boy," Ruth told him. He laughed. "They're not wrong. You are rather pretty."

"Do they have a nickname for you?" He questioned.

"Well, they call me Ruthie sometimes, that's mostly it. They don't really use nicknames affectionately," She thought about how George called Adelaide Addy solely because he knew she preferred Laidey. "My younger brother, Sully, I don't think you'd know him but he's a third-year, anyway, he used to call me Rue when he was little because he couldn't say the 'th.'"

"Rue is sort of cute," said Cedric.

"My mum ruined it. I don't know why, but she eventually turned Rue into Rootie-tootie which is just the worst name I could imagine." Cedric, who had been taking a sip out of his mug, choked a bit.

"Rootie-tootie?" He couldn't help but laugh.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Rootie-tootie," Cedric repeated, grinning. "Rootie-tootie." She swatted him lightly.

"Stop saying it!" Ruth exclaimed, trying to stifle her own giggle. "You are never to call me that."

"Never?"

"Never ever." She answered firmly. "If Fred and George ever caught wind of that... I'd never hear the end of it. It's to be our little secret."

"I guess secrets are fun," Cedric mused. "I like that I know something about you that they don't." He slipped an arm around her shoulder.

"And let's keep it that way."

"Well, what can I call you then?"

"Ruth, I suppose," She replied. He scrunched his face up as if pondering something very important.

"Nicknames are sweet, I think," Cedric said. "What about Birdie?"

"Birdie?"

"Yeah, you're always singing to yourself or humming, like a bird."

"Hmm, that's kind of cute." Ruth smiled up at Cedric. He had very kind eyes that crinkled at the corners. She had never been this close to him before, and just as she made that observation he leaned down even further. He held eye contact with her for a few seconds, a faint blush rising to his cheeks. Glancing briefly down to Ruth's lips Cedric then brushed a few pieces of flyaway hair out of her face.

"Could I kiss you?" He asked quietly, his hand that was resting on her shoulder played gently with her sweater. Ruth's eyes widened and she nodded. Cedric placed a soft kiss on her forehead, barely brushing her skin with his lips; Ruth would almost believe she'd imagined it had it not been for the sudden rush of whispers from the younger girls at the table next to them. She felt her heart swell, it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. Ruth had heard that expression before but actually experiencing it was something entirely different. He moved one hand to her chin, tilted her face up slightly, then leaned down and kissed her quite gently on the lips. When Cedric pulled away both of their cheeks were bright pink, and he was trying (and failing) desperately to hide his smile.

"Birdie," He said again, tilting his head a bit, like a curious puppy. "I do like the sound of that."

\---

Timothy and two of his close friends from the Frog Choir, Fiona Faltree and Gregory Pine, also sat in the Three Broomsticks that afternoon, not too far from Lee and one of the Weasley twins (none of the three could tell which). Fiona was loud, an incredible shift in disposition from Timothy and Gregory, but they balanced each other out.

"Timmy, you have got to stop looking over there," Fiona giggled. Her eyes were bright and shiny, sort of glassy from the ridiculous amount of butterbeer she had consumed since the trio arrived. The 'there' she was referring to was, of course, Lee's table. Timothy wasn't out, so to speak, but he wasn't exactly hiding his sexuality either. He knew there had been rumors floating around, and if anyone were to ask him directly he'd be honest. (No one had dared to do that, though). Fiona and Gregory were the first people he had told, besides his mother, and had been received quite warmly by his friends.

"I'm not looking anywhere," Timothy argued, tearing his eyes away from his... not boyfriend. But he wasn't not his boyfriend, either, right? Timothy frowned. Lee hadn't chanced a single glance in his direction the entire time.

"You are so!" Fiona exclaimed, swiveling around in her chair to look back as well. Timothy grabbed her arm and rather harshly spun her back in their direction but she only laughed again. "I can't blame you, Lee is rather handsome."

He had been far from discreet about his crush, especially with Fiona who seemed to possess the magical gift of weaseling everyone's deepest secrets out of them, but he'd successfully avoided telling his best friends just how far his crush went. Timothy knew that it wasn't his place to take that away from Lee. It wasn't his secret to tell.

"From what I've heard he's pretty straight, though, he's kissed more girls than I even know." Gregory added reluctantly. He was tall, almost ridiculously so, and built like a piece of straw. His hair, coincidentally, was also the color of straw. "It's a pity, he's gorgeous." Gregory also happened to be gay, confiding in them not long after Timothy had.

"So glad I'm able to talk about boys with you two," Fiona said. She looked back once again. "If you can't actually go after Lee, maybe I should."

"You?" Timothy spat up a little bit of butterbeer, then quickly regained his composure.

"It's not like you're in love with him or anything right? If you can't have him, one of us should," She hopped out of her chair, fluffed up her thick curly hair, and checked her reflection in her empty glass. "What do you think boys, do I look good?"

"You look like you always do," Gregory remarked which prompted an eye roll from Fiona. "I don't know if he'd go for a Slytherin, Fi."

"Eh, I bet he likes a bit of danger," She said confidently. Neither Timothy nor Gregory could hear the conversation, but it went as follows:

"Hullo Weasley, Lee," Fiona smiled sweetly, it was her best feature and she knew how to use it.

"Miss Faltree," Lee greeted, wearing a smug expression. "Lovely as always."

"I know," She replied, taking a seat in one of the unoccupied chairs.

"I'm Fred, by the way," Fred said, glumly.

As if not hearing Fred at all, Fiona leaned forward towards Lee. "My friends and I have a bet," She nodded back towards Timothy and Gregory. Lee tried to hide his laugh when he saw Timothy.

"Let's hear it then," Lee said. Fiona licked her lips, Lee noticed, and she then placed a hand on his arm.

"They think that you won't go out with me," She pouted. "Because I'm a Slytherin."

"Well, they're only partly right," Lee informed her. He glanced at Timothy again, who was unashamedly watching the scene unfold, and smiled. "I won't go out with you, but your house has got nothing to do with it. You're just not my type, sorry love."

Fiona pulled her hand away from Lee and scowled. "I thought you didn't have a type."

"I didn't," Lee shrugged. He took a sip from a suspicious glass and had to physically stop himself from looking at Timothy again. "Do now, though."

Fiona turned to Fred, "Did you know about this?"

"First I've heard about it."

"Well, what is your type then?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm not one to kiss and tell," Lee replied and Fred laughed.

"That isn't true at all," He said, and Lee scowled.

"Fine, whatever," Fiona rolled her eyes and decided to change targets. Batting her eyelashes a bit too dramatically, "What about you, Fred? A little old Slytherin doesn't scare you, do I? You seem up to a challenge."

"He's got a type, too," Lee muttered, imitating a sad tone.

Fiona returned to her table, unsuccessful, and waved off her friends before they could say anything. "I don't want to hear it," She grumbled. Not too long after, the Weasley boy and Lee Jordan left the Three Broomsticks, and Timothy smiled to himself when he noticed a napkin on their table had been folded into a very crude crane.

\--- 

"Oi," George said, not putting in an effort to mask his blatant dislike of the Slytherin boy as he approached. "What's your deal?" The boy was even taller up close, but George wasn't afraid.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," He responded, not even looking down at George. He was still watching the direction that Elisabeth had left in.

"Buddy, what is your problem?" George chanced a slight shove, and finally, he got a reaction.

"Why don't you mind your own business, Weasley?"

"Why don't you stop following Elisabeth around like some kind of freak? Do you not know how to talk to birds or something?"

"Oh, bug off," He scoffed, moving around to walk past George, who reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Just leave her alone, mate." George could tell the other boy was getting angry but he didn't much care. The Slytherin shrugged George's hand off.

"Maybe your bitch of a girlfriend should learn to keep her mouth shut then," He spat venomously. George recoiled slightly, a bit confused by the remark.

"What do you-"

"She's a malicious gossip, and her little rumors she likes to spread ruined my relationship."

George was dumbfounded, truly. This was all because of some rumor? "Seriously? You've been following a girl around for weeks because of a little gossip? What could she have possibly said?"

"She told everyone that I cheated on my girlfriend."

"Jesus, mate, that sounds like a personal problem there, doesn't it?"

"Well, if that bitch had a life besides talking about other peoples' there wouldn't be a problem to begin with."

"Stop calling her a bitch, I think the problem was you cheating on your bird, not Elisabeth ratting your stupid arse out. What are you even trying to accomplish here?"

"Just trying to teach her a lesson. Get her scared and on edge, make her as miserable as she made me."

"I think you're the one who needs to get a life."

"My advice? Break up with the bitch and let me take care-"

"God, listening is fundamental. Do your ears work at all or are you just too thick to process when people speak?" George pushed up the sleeve of his coat and punched the tall boy as hard as he could right in the nose. He shook his hand and stretched out his fingers, which were stinging from the impact. "I told you not to call her that."

The boy spit on the ground, there was blood running down from his nose and into his mouth. He glared down at George but didn't retaliate. A coward, just as George thought.

"If I ever see you near her again I can do a lot more damage than that, something to keep in mind," He smiled, almost cordially. "I'll sleep with your girlfriend, too. Oh, sorry, ex-girlfriend." George gave him a cheeky wink and then went to meet Adelaide in Honeydukes.

\---

The Halloween feast was truly magnificent, as always. The food was delicious, and the Great Hall was decorated quite extravagantly, with orange streamers charmed to swim around the air, like serpents. Things were more or less back to normal at dinner, even Fred was back into a cheerful mood for the festivities. George reached forward to grab another sweet bun when Adelaide caught his hand in midair and leaned in to inspect it.

"George, what the hell happened to your hand?" She asked, observing the slight swelling of his knuckles, and the light bruising that had started to blossom in the hours since his run in with the Slytherin.

"Don't worry about it," He snapped, yanking his hand back and taking a bun along with it. Elisabeth was sitting with them this evening, as she often hopped around between friend groups on various days, and also moved to examine George's injury.

"It didn't look like that when we spoke earlier," Elisabeth said. He stuffed both hands into the pockets of his robes, leaving the bun hanging from his mouth. She stood, climbed onto the bench unashamedly (which resulted in a few odd looks from the other students, but Elisabeth did not care) and did a quick screening of the room. Gasping suddenly, she returned to her seat and grabbed the bun right from his lips.

"Hey!" He protested, reaching to grab it back. As he did, Elisabeth caught his wrist in her own hand.

"George Weasley," Elisabeth started, most accusatory, "Did you punch that Slytherin bloke with the obviously broken nose?"

"What?" Ruth and Adelaide both gasped, and simultaneously spun around to look for themselves.

"Unless there are two Slytherin's with broken noses, then I'd say it's a safe bet that the one you're talking about is the one I punched," George shrugged, finally snatching the bun back and taking another bite, without even glancing in the direction of the Slytherin table. All three girls' mouths hung open in shock.

"Hell yeah," Fred grinned. "Not that you need a reason, but what for?"

"He looked at me funny," George joked. Elisabeth pursed her lips and was about to speak up, when George shot her a look. "Ruth," He said, without turning from Elisabeth, silently warning her not to mention anything else about the Slytherin boy, "How was your date?" George wasn't sure why he didn't want the others to know that he'd punched him for Elisabeth's sake, but he was certain that he didn't.

"You guys looked disgustingly adorable in the Three Broomsticks," Lee added.

"Oh, well," Ruth glanced back at the Hufflepuff table and smiled. Fred glared. "It was really good, Cedric is so sweet." She rambled on a bit and then, excitedly, with Adelaide clutching her arm, she said, "And... he kissed my forehead." Adelaide squealed, despite having already heard this, and turned expectantly to the others. The boys were watching them, various stages of disgust on their faces.

"So? You've kissed my forehead loads of times," Fred remarked. George closed his eyes and sighed deeply after Fred's comment, and Ruth's fork slipped from her hand and clattered onto the plate.

"Fred, you prat, this is different," Adelaide said hurriedly, narrowing her eyes very pointedly at him. Ruth had gone wide-eyed. "This was romantic, don't you see?"

"No, wait, maybe Fred is right," She murmured, "I have kissed his forehead loads of times, so maybe it didn't mean anything." Fred suddenly wished he hadn't said anything.

"Fred," Elisabeth said, "Have you ever kissed Ruth's forehead?"

"Er, not that I can recall," Fred replied. Elisabeth smiled satisfactorily, and Adelaide nudged Ruth.

"See?" She said to the dark-haired witch.

"What? Why? What difference does that make?" Fred asked, leaning forward. Elisabeth giggled as if the answer was so obvious, and shared a knowing look with Adelaide.

"It's different with blokes," Elisabeth explained. "It may not mean anything when Ruth kisses your forehead, but it certainly means something that Cedric kissed hers." Fred was about to protest, though he realized she was probably right, but Adelaide spoke up.

"Plus, he kissed her on the mouth, too," Adelaide added, the final nail in the coffin. Fred felt ill. Lee, noticing Fred's darkened expression, quickly jumped in.

"I'm bored of this, sorry Ruth," He said. "Your love life just isn't doing it for me right now, let's move on. How about the Quidditch match this week?" This successfully derailed the conversation until the ghosts of Hogwarts put on quite a lovely show, and then it was time for bed. The Gryffindors sleepily trudged up, stomachs full and ready to turn in, but the excitement for the evening was far from over.

When they reached the portrait that would let them into the common room, they were surprised to find a great mass of Gryffindors waiting outside along with Dumbldore and several other professors, unable to enter, and Peeves the Poltergeist twirling excitedly in the air. George stood on his toes as high as he could to peer over the crowd and turned to his friends in shock.

"Someone's slashed the Fat Lady's portrait," He whispered.

The group had missed most of the conversation occurring between Peeves and Dumbledore, but arrived just in time to hear him say, "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see. Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> little dialogue snippet for Peeves is from PoA :-)


End file.
